KOTA KINABALU: An octogenarian who died from heart complications has given a new lease on life for two patients in need of an organ donor.
Sabah Health director Datuk Dr Asits Sanna said the late Selvaraju Shanmugam @ SS Raju, 83, is the oldest organ donor in Sabah.
"The late Raju, a loving husband and father, known for his generosity and helping those in need, expressed his desire to donate organs to his family, despite not having the opportunity to register as an official organ donor.
"The family, in accordance with his wishes, donated a pair of corneas, bringing new light to the lives of two other patients," he said in a statement, adding the transplant surgery was done at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here.
Dr Asits said the Sabah Health Department extends condolences and expresses high appreciation to the family for the gift of life bestowed.
"May the soul of the departed be blessed and may the family find strength in facing this loss."
He added the previous oldest organ donor in Sabah was 80 years and 2 months old in 2018, while the youngest organ donor was 1 year and 4 months old in 2008.
As of Oct 2023, there have been a total of 33 cadaveric organ donors in Sabah.
The Sabah Health Department advises the public to register as organ donors through the MySejahtera application and communicate their intentions to their closest family members.