I refer to the statement by Health Ministry deputy director-general Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai statement entitled ‘Not enough donors, surgeons or teams for organ transplants’. It is totally misleading.

Extremely troubling also because we are told that the number of kidney dialysis patients will double by 2040. And that nine out of 100 Malaysians have chronic kidney disease now?

Rather than join a chorus of extreme negativism, allow me to address the various issues raised by Dr Jayaindran in the said article which cannot go unchallenged as the Consumers Association of Subang & Shah Alam (Cassa) has done a lot of work in these areas and our findings raises several points that needs to be explained in accountability, good governance and transparency at the Health Ministry of Malaysia.

It is certainly not our intention to embarrass any quarter but certainly to ask pertinent questions in the public interest.

First, may I ask humbly what has ever happened to the Health Ministry’s preventive health programme?

Is it not time to conduct an audit by independent assessors why if any, of the ministry’s programmes have failed?

How much ratepayers monies have been spent on all these?

Let us start with the ministry’s ‘Lifestyles Campaigns’ which were undertaken costing multi-millions to date, but, seems to have failed?

Dr Jeyaindran should realise as a practitioner and now wearing the hat of an administrator, that talking about organ transplant is a secondary issue. Transplants are not cheap.

Does he and the administrators at the Health Ministry not feel that greater emphasis should be for the prevention of organ failures?

If indeed our preventive medicine and healthcare programmes are effective, then we would not need to be talking about expensive transplant programmes and the lack of specialists.

In the said article, the deputy director-general has also mentioned that they want to increase the capacity for transplant patients, when nobody seems to be bothered about the cheaper preventive medicine.

At this juncture, we need to also ask whether we have allowed far too many 24-hour and other eateries serving allegedly unhealthy and unhygienic food to unsuspecting consumers?

Do we not need to now regulate and limit them?

We need to also ask whether patients today have easy access to drugs and alternative treatment, which are damaging to their organs, some by ‘fly by night operators’?

Thirdly, are generic medicines effective in controlling the blood sugar levels and the blood pressure for patients? If they were effective, why are diabetic patients developing kidney failures?

Those familiar know organ transplants are expensive.

They also need highly-trained teams and other assets to be effective.

It is a passionate skill needing dedication, sacrifice and vision.

I know that there was an effective kidney transplant program in Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Selayang Hospital.

Can the deputy director-general care to answer what ever happened to them?

Had the government put enough funds to sustain it?

The pertinent question

If they indeed have stopped, the pertinent question is why were these tertiary services not sustained by the government?

The deputy director-general has taken pains to give the impression that they are looking into engaging foreign experts to train more specialists in these areas so that transplants can be done.

A very strange statement coming in the 2017 era.

I am certain that the members of the Malaysian public would be anxious to know what has happened to all the trained specialist we previously had? Care to honestly explain?

Why were there not steps taken to retain those specialists?

Whose incompetence or lack of professionalism resulted in this status?

For example from 2015 we have had no liver transplants in the country! Why?

Do these stoppages have any link to specialist retiring without efforts made by ministry bureaucrats and pencil pushers to frustrate their reemployment or others leaving service out of sheer frustrations at the lack of promotions and appreciation of their dedication, passion and service to the nation?

And does not what I am alluding to have indeed grounds for a comprehensive investigation by an external nonpartisan task force?

At the same time have our so called Health Ministry intelligentsia ever done a root cause or analysis why specialist are leaving the service?

Cassa is aware that international experts like Professor Russell Strong, a dear friend, was brought in to facilitate the development of transplant in this country.

Why was it not sustained?

Embarrassingly, in comparison with other countries where specialist services are developed there has been exponential growth!

Why not Malaysia?

Are we not ashamed that even countries, whose talents were trained in Malaysia in time past like Pakistan are developing transplant programs in all their districts? To be exact 36 districts!

Let me go further.

Even in India, which started after us, they have moved far ahead of us.

And perhaps, why this is so, the ministry deputy director-general can perhaps enlighten me and other Malaysians.

Embarrassingly, nothing seems to be moving in a progressive manner allegedly hampered and frustrated by politics, back-stabbing, private and personal interest, personalities, and racism.

Since we are on this topic may I also ask what ever happened to Malaysia’s version of the Organ Transplant Act?

Cassa was consulted to provide feedback decades ago and I am advised this is still another issue that has not seen the light or resolved.

Perhaps, this is a classic example that there is something very seriously wrong at the Health Ministry’s leadership, which at one time stood tall, talented and transparent.

DR JACOB GEORGE is president, Consumers Association of Subang & Shah Alam, Selangor (Cassa).