We all hope to live in a harmonious and friendly community. There are a variety of ways for expressing our love and care. Organ donation is one of them. Chung Chi students Ms. Choy Sze Wing (IBBA/5), Ms. Gong Junyi (Economics/3), Ms. Saung Hnin Phyu (Energy and Environmental Engineering/5), and Ms. Zhang Shuhan (Biomedical Sciences/4) collaborated on the General Education course “GECC4130 Final Year Project” to promote organ donation on the campus of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) by stationing a vehicle on 5 October 2023 to disseminate information to University members, in the hope that they can have a better understanding of this aspect and more people are willing to be organ donors.

Q: Why do you choose organ donation promotion as the proposal theme?

In Hong Kong, there are a considerable number of patients who need transplants. However, the demand is always greater than supply. In 2019, statistics reveal that over 2,000 patients were eagerly awaiting a transplant in our city. Despite this pressing demand, the number of registered organ donors in Hong Kong remains notably low when compared to other developed nations. As of May 2023, a mere 5% of Hong Kong population, approximately 357,000 individuals, have taken the commendable step of registering as organ donors, according to the British broadsheet The Guardian. Therefore, we hope that more people know more about organ donation and express their willingness to become organ donors with the support of the Hong Kong Government and the General Education of Chung Chi College. CUHK is also the first university in Hong Kong to promote organ donation, which is utterly meaningful.

The organ donation promotion vehicle provides games, leaflets, and displays, enabling students to have a deeper understanding of organ donation.

Q: How does the government support your campaign? What are the facilities inside the organ donation promotion vehicle?

The vehicle provides some basic information about organ donation, for example, a matching game showing various organs that can be donated to the needy, a video illustrating how organ donation makes a difference to beneficiaries, in addition to promotion leaflets and display covering relevant information and procedures, students can know more about organ donation. What’s more, we also provide the Centralised Organ Donation Register Form of the Department of Health. Those who are willing to be organ donors can fill in the form on the spot. Apart from the vehicle, the Department of Health has also set up a counter at the Cultural Square. Teachers and students can make enquiries when necessary.

The Department of Health has set up a counter at the Cultural Square. Teachers and students can make enquiries when necessary.

Q: How do you gauge the effectiveness of organ donation promotion on the campus?

We have designed a questionnaire to collect information about students’ profiles, their thoughts on and knowledge of organ donation, and their willingness to become organ donors. If the response rate is high, we will be aware of how well this promotion campaign is. For those who are unwilling to donate organs, we will also ask them the reasons, such as religious or family matters, which can help us consolidate different views in the Final Year Project. Furthermore, we also hope that more local tertiary education institutions can take turns promoting organ donation on their campus. With our joint efforts, we believe that the public will have a clearer picture of organ donation and no longer have any misunderstandings arising from this aspect.