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Swenson Tan, 22, lapsed into a coma three weeks ago after being hit by a van. He was declared brain dead by doctors at Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Friday (Mar 8), but his traumatised parents refused to accept the outcome.
The full-time national serviceman, who had studied Mechanical Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, was riding a motorcycle near Hougang Ave 7 when he collided with a van. He suffered serious head injuries and underwent a six-hour operation.
His mother, Madam Lisa Mah, 54, could be heard yelling at hospital staff for wanting to take him away and wailing for him to wake up. Mr Tan's parents had also earlier made a police report against CGH to keep him alive.
More than 30 friends and family members rallied around Mr Tan in and near his ward on Sunday night, moments before his body was wheeled into the operating theatre by nurses for his organs to be harvested.
Professor Teo Eng Kiong, chairman of the medical board at CGH, said that time is crucial in the harvesting of usable organs.
“Organs are usually recovered within 24 hours after the certification of brain death... After the procedure, the body is suitably prepared to be returned to the family, for them to conduct their own funeral rites,” he said.
The full-time national serviceman, who had studied Mechanical Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, was riding a motorcycle near Hougang Ave 7 when he collided with a van. He suffered serious head injuries and underwent a six-hour operation.
His mother, Madam Lisa Mah, 54, could be heard yelling at hospital staff for wanting to take him away and wailing for him to wake up. Mr Tan's parents had also earlier made a police report against CGH to keep him alive.
More than 30 friends and family members rallied around Mr Tan in and near his ward on Sunday night, moments before his body was wheeled into the operating theatre by nurses for his organs to be harvested.
Professor Teo Eng Kiong, chairman of the medical board at CGH, said that time is crucial in the harvesting of usable organs.
“Organs are usually recovered within 24 hours after the certification of brain death... After the procedure, the body is suitably prepared to be returned to the family, for them to conduct their own funeral rites,” he said.