Hengchun Tourism Hospital Achieves First Successful Organ Donation Match in 5 Years, Proving Rural Hospitals Can Take the Vital First Step

Medical resources in the southernmost part of Taiwan are relatively scarce, and the complete absence of any designated organ transplant hospital in Pingtung County makes Hengchun even more marginalized concerning the issue of organ donation. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Hengchun Tourism Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Hengchun Hospital) achieved a rare and successful organ donation match last year, proving that even rural hospitals can take the crucial first step by identifying potential donors.

According to current Taiwanese regulations, organ harvesting and transplantation must be performed by "organ transplant hospitals" approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Since there are no hospitals in Pingtung County capable of performing transplants, efforts regarding organ donation are mostly limited to public awareness and identifying potential donors. However, identifying potential donors is not an easy task; according to Hengchun Hospital's records, this is the only successful organ donation match in nearly 5 years.

● Potential Donors Are Often Tourists, Making Successful Solicitations Rare

The hospital told Central News Agency (CNA) reporters that successful organ donation solicitations are rare on the Hengchun Peninsula. One major reason is that potential donors are often tourists from outside the area involved in accidents such as car crashes. By the time their family members are contacted, the golden hour for medical intervention has often passed. Even if family members are present, they mostly prefer to transfer the patient back to a metropolitan hospital to "try one last time," making it difficult to retain potential cases that meet the criteria.

Furthermore, regional hospitals have limited manpower, lack dedicated organ donation coordinators, and have social workers whose capacity or experience is insufficient. Doctors are also mostly on rotation and may not be familiar with organ donation solicitation. Last year's successful case was attributed to the alignment of "the right time, the right place, and the right people." A major key factor was Dr. Chi Nai-yu, an attending physician in cardiology at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital who was also working at Hengchun Tourism Hospital.

According to the hospital, last year, a man in his 50s collapsed on the street due to a myocardial infarction. On the day he was sent to the hospital, Dr. Chi happened to be on duty at Hengchun Hospital. He urgently performed a cardiac catheterization on the patient. Although the patient eventually suffered brain death due to prolonged hypoxia, his organ functions returned to normal. Based on his experience, Dr. Chi judged that the patient met the conditions for organ donation and chose the appropriate time to bring it up with the family.

● Building Doctor-Patient Trust Helps Families Accept Organ Donation

Dr. Chi noted that the timing and manner of discussing organ donation are extremely crucial. If organ donation is mentioned during the first contact, it can easily make the family question whether the doctor has done everything possible to save the patient, which might also lead to feelings of guilt. In this particular case, it was only after more than 10 days of treatment, during which a strong foundation of trust was built between the medical team and the family, that the family was more willing to accept this option.

How can organ donation be promoted in rural areas? The hospital believes that a regional "green channel" and a dedicated hotline mechanism could be established, allowing frontline doctors to quickly contact medical centers when encountering potential cases. If the government were to establish an incentive system for cross-hospital cooperation, it could also increase the willingness of regional hospitals to participate and allocate more manpower and training.

Dr. Chang Chia-mao, a chief neurosurgeon at Pingtung Hospital, has worked there for 11 years. He stated that he strongly supports organ donation and feels "uplifted" in his heart every time a case is completed. According to statistics, since 2014, Pingtung Hospital has successfully solicited 35 organs and tissues from 7 patients. However, bound by traditional concepts, the process is fraught with difficulties.

Dr. Chang mentioned that family members sometimes fear that the doctors might want to give up on emergency resuscitation. However, returning to professional judgment, it is necessary to first ensure that the family fully understands whether the patient has any chance of survival or whether the condition is irreversible before suggesting organ donation. This approach significantly increases the probability of a successful solicitation.

● Organ Donation is a Race Against Time, Traditional Beliefs Are Hard to Break

Dr. Chang explained that whenever a potential organ donation case arises, a cross-hospital cooperation mechanism must be activated. After a two-way assessment of feasibility, the partnering medical center takes over the surgery. The process is a race against time, with deep concerns that any fluctuations in blood pressure could affect the functional quality of the organs.

Chu Hui-chun, a social worker at Pingtung Hospital's Social Work Office, said that the solicitation process involves dealing with the grief of the family. She approaches them with support and empathy, telling them, "The patient's passing is actually a way of leaving something behind; their organs will help many people." However, the traditional belief of leaving a "whole body" after death is very hard to break, especially in Pingtung, where there is a large elderly patient population, making discussions about life and death relatively difficult.

Chu shared that from her years of experience in solicitation, she found that people have fears of the unknown. For example, they wonder if a patient who donates organs will be unable to find their way home, or if their body will be incomplete. She breaks the ice by addressing their speculations and shifts the narrative, explaining, "When the patient passes away, they have reached a state of completion. The patient does not know what happens to their body, but through organ donation, they can allow more people to continue living."