Organ transplantation is set to be reframed as a national agenda, with the Health Ministry (MOH) restructuring the National Transplant Centre (NTC) into a central command body to drive policy, governance, and nationwide coordination, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced.
Dr Dzulkefly noted that Malaysia’s transplant activity remains far below national needs, despite strong clinical expertise, public-sector infrastructure, and a growing burden of end-stage organ failure driven by non-communicable diseases and gaps in prevention and early care.
“Over the past two years, we have quietly been rebuilding the engine of our National Transplant Services. A critical foundation is the structural empowerment of the NTC, which was previously operating under Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL),” he said.
He added that the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC), now renamed the NTC, has been elevated under the Medical Development Division at MOH headquarters. This change shifts it from a hospital-based unit to a national command centre, giving it the mandate to drive transplant policy nationwide, Dr Dzulkefly said in a posting on X (formerly Twitter).
Acknowledging challenges such as the long training period required to produce transplant specialists, the minister said immediate steps are being taken to optimise existing resources through strategic collaborations with public-private and university hospitals.
Among the key initiatives is the establishment of a National Transplant Council, which will serve as the central authority for data and resource management. The ministry is also leveraging public-private partnerships by engaging experts from private and university hospitals to form a unified national procurement team.
On policy and regulatory reforms, Dr Dzulkefly said the revision of the National Organ, Tissue and Cell Transplantation Policy 2007 is in its final stages to align with global standards. A review of the Human Tissue Act 1974 is also underway to better protect living donors and streamline processes.
However, he stressed that structural reforms alone would not suffice without a parallel shift in public mindset towards organ donation.
“Over 400,000 Malaysians have registered as organ donors, yet more than 10,000 patients remain on transplant waiting lists. There’s more to be done!” he said.
To improve accessibility, the donor pledge process has been made easier through the MySejahtera application, which recorded more than 16,000 new sign-ups as of July 2025.
