Alarming decrease in organ donation
Local transplant coordinator debunks myths on organ donation and encourages the community to have tough discussions on possibly becoming potential organ donors.
Over recent years, there has reportedly been an alarming decrease in organ donation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
One organ and tissue donor can save seven lives and increase the quality of life of 70 people, according to Brackenhurst’s Sr Marlize de Jager.
De Jager specialises in ICU in organ transplant and has been in the fraternity of nursing for over three decades.
She first worked as a recipient coordinator, then worked as a transplant educator for about a decade and now for the past five years, she has been working as a procurement coordinator at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre.
In her current position, her role mainly focuses on educating the medical fraternity about organ donation and transplantation.
“I go around hospitals and speak to the people there and arrange awareness programmes with hospitals. If there’s a referral of a potential candidate I also speak to the family regarding the option of organ donation,” she explained.
Importance of organ donation
According to De Jager, there are three types of organ and tissue donation, which comprises living donor, heart beating donor and non-heart-beating donor.
“In a living donor, one may donate a kidney and a portion of one’s liver. For heart beating donors, they may donate organs from a patient declared brain dead after sustaining a severe irreversible brain injury. In non-heart-beating donors after death, they may donate corneas, skin and bone tissue from the deceased,” she said.
She explained that prior tests that focus on the actual living donor are conducted and that these processes are carried out with the utmost dignity and respect.
De Jager debunked myths about organ donation, stating that a person is never too young or too old to be considered an organ donor.
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“Though it’s not common, they do not think the process will happen with the utmost dignity and respect. Organ and tissue donation is always completed with dignity and doesn’t influence the funeral date at any time. Whatever the family wishes, that’s our command and it doesn’t cost anything,” she explained.
Even if a patient might have chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure or diabetes, she said they may still be an organ donor.
De Jager said members of the community should not shy away from having discussions about organ donation to save lives.
She urged that those wishing to donate their organs once they have passed on should inform their family of their wish.
In their plight to inform the public, she said: “We are also hosting a radio show every Saturday from 06:00 to 09:00 on www.joyousradio.co.za online. It will be a 10-week programme with various guest speakers just speaking about organ donation and transplantation.”
To learn more about organ donation and to register to become an organ donor, visit: Save Seven.
