Whole body donation
Whole body donors, also known as Silent Mentors, provide medical students and doctors the opportunity to study the anatomy of the human body and to trial new life-saving medical and surgical procedures and techniques.
Last updated 19 March 2025
Whole body donors, also known as Silent Mentors, provide medical students and doctors the opportunity to study the anatomy of the human body and to trial new life-saving medical and surgical procedures and techniques.
Just like all organ donors, Silent Mentors are treated with compassion, care, respect and dignity.
1. Initiation of donation
Whole body donation occurs after circulatory death.
Contacting the Transplant Coordinator
If death occurs at a hospital, the nurses can assist the family to contact the transplant coordinator on call to facilitate the whole body donation.
If death occurs at home or in other locations in Singapore, the next of kin should contact the transplant coordinator on call via the 24-hour hotline 62223322 as soon as death occurs.
2. Assessing donor suitability
The transplant coordinator assesses the suitability of the potential whole body donor.
Understanding eligibility
Individuals with infectious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis [TB], Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV]) are not suitable for whole body donation. Patients with cancer or chronic illness can still donate their bodies for education and research.
Whole body donation is possible for deaths that are reported to the Coroner unless an autopsy has been performed.
💡 Did you know?
Whole body donation for research and education is still possible after tissue (e.g. cornea and skin) donation. However, whole body donation for research and education cannot proceed if organs have been donated for transplantation as long-term embalming would not be possible.
3. Explaining the donation process
The transplant coordinator explains the process of donation to the next of kin.
Memorial arrangements
At this point in the process, families can choose whether to collect their loved one’s ashes or to opt for a sea burial at the end of the research duration.
4. Family memorial arrangements
The family can hold a wake for up to three days before the body is donated to a medical institution.
The family can hold a wake for up to three days before the body is donated to a medical institution.
Preparing for the wake
The family would need to arrange for a funeral parlour to embalm the body if a wake is to be held.
5. Coordinating with medical institutions
The transplant coordinator liaises with the medical institution to collect the donor’s body.
6. Research and final arrangements
The research duration may be up to three years. Upon completion, the medical institution informs the family and arranges for the Silent Mentor’s cremation.
Educational contributions
From our Silent Mentors, students learn about the structures of the human body close-up, such as the position of organs and blood vessels, and which major arteries should not be punctured during medical procedures.
7. Final wishes and memorial options
The family may collect the Silent Mentor’s ashes or opt for sea burial.
Ready to make your decision?
Understand how you can make your decision known.