The following is a letter by Leong Sze Hian to the Today newspaper. It was published on 10 November here.

I REFER to media reports about the NKF organ donor fund. I would like to applaud the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) for setting up the fund to help kidney donors.

Details of the means-testing criteria to determine whether donors who apply can qualify for the fund are not public. This may deter some people from donating their kidneys.

If the means-testing criteria for subsidy at Class C and B2 wards in public hospitals can be made public, why not do so for the NKF organ donor fund too?

If the past experience of other schemes with means-testing, is anything to go by, not making the criteria public may give the perception that the criteria must be very stringent.

According to the NKF’s latest annual report for FY2007/08, it had a surplus fund amounting to $247 million, and a net annual surplus of $9 million.

How much of the $247 million surplus fund is projected to be used for the NKF organ donor fund?

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Read also: “Praise for NKF’s organ donor fund” by The Straits Times.

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