Tang Wee Sung gets transplant - recently jailed for attempting to buy a kidney

[okarol]

Tang Wee Sung gets a transplant
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, January 10

SINGAPORE: The former head of retail empire CK Tang, Mr Tang Wee Sung, who was jailed a day for attempting to buy a kidney, finally got a transplant on Friday.

A family spokesperson told Weekend TODAY that 56—year—old Mr Tang’s operation at the National University Hospital (NUH), which started in the "early morning" and took "about three hours", was successful.

"Mr Tang’s condition is stable and he’s recuperating in hospital now. His relatives are with him," the spokesperson said, without furnishing more details.

When contacted, an NUH spokesperson declined to comment "in respect of patient’s request and patient confidentiality".

The family and hospital would not say who the donor was. According to past reports, Mr Tang — who had undergone a triple—bypass operation in October 2007 — was not eligible for a cadaveric kidney because of his many ailments, such as heart problems, asthma, sleep apnoea, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

Under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), a living donor has to appear before a Transplant Ethics Committee (TEC) before a transplant can proceed. Among other things, the TEC has to determine that donor and recipient share a strong emotional relationship, if not blood ties, before granting authorisation.

The ailing magnate, who had been suffering from end—stage renal failure and pops more than 50 pills daily, had said in past media interviews that he might get a kidney in Beijing, where he has relatives, or in the United States.

Doctors had also reportedly told him that he had one to two years to live without a transplant. Kidney patients here usually have to wait nine years on average for a transplant.

Mr Tang, a bachelor, was fined $17,000 and jailed for one day in September for attempting to buy a kidney from Indonesian Sulaiman Damanik. He was prepared to pay $300,000 to see the deal through.

Mr Sulaiman, 26, had agreed to sell his kidney for about 150 million rupiah and had lied to a TEC that his aunt was married to Mr Tang’s niece’s brother—in—law.

Upon his conviction, Mr Tang stepped down as executive chairman of CK Tang.

The organ—trading saga sparked off widespread discussions. The Health Ministry subsequently released a consultation paper last November on proposed changes to Hota which would entail, among other things, heavier punishments for organ trading syndicates and middlemen.

The debate is also ongoing over a possible legal compensation scheme for organ donors.

http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090110/tap-501-tang-wee-sung-gets-transplant-231650b.html

[paul.karen]

I'm sick of Ethics.

If someone has the money and someone wants to sell a body part how can a government tell a grown person you can or cant do it??

Do we not have free will....
If it is not forcibly taken i see nothing wrong with it.   my 

[okarol]

Singapore tycoon gets kidney from hanged man

Sat Jan 10, 2:01 am ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – An ailing Singapore tycoon jailed briefly last year for trying to buy a kidney has received one in a transplant from a hanged murderer, the Straits Times newspaper reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said Tang Wee Sung, of the landmark C.K. Tang department store on the city state's swish Orchard Road, was given a kidney donated by gangster Tan Jor Chin, who was hanged at Changi Prison on Friday morning.

The transplant took place later that day.

Tan, 42, known as "One-Eyed Dragon" because he was blind in his right eye, was found guilty in 2007 of shooting a business associate.

The newspaper quoted Tan's mistress as saying the gangster had wanted to donate his organs after his death.

Tang, 56, was jailed for a day and fined S$17,000 (about $12,000) for trying to buy a kidney from an Indonesian man last year. Organ trading is illegal in Singapore.

The Straits Times said Tang suffers from several ailments including asthma, diabetes and heart problems and had triple bypass surgery last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090110/wl_nm/us_singapore_transplant_1