Lack of organ donor awareness in KZN
There has been a slump in KZN organ donors says Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa.
THE decline in the number of life-saving donor organs in KwaZulu-Natal is alarming. This is according to the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa, which held a press briefing at Gateway Hospital last week. They added that patients awaiting transplants had longer to wait in the province than those in other provinces.
Jooste Vermeulen, the communications director for the foundation, presented some stark figures to the room of about 40 people, including members of the media, patients awaiting transplants and members of the medical fraternity.
“The truth is, transplant professionals are insistently toiling to save the lives of desperate patients against insurmountable odds by not getting the support from medical professionals who can make a difference. In 2002, 112 transplants were performed in KZN, however in 2014, only 18 were performed. There has been a drastic decline of organ donors. Unfortunately doctors not directly involved with transplantation are faced with fear and prejudice influencing their decision to refer potential organ donors to transplant centres.
“More than a paradigm shift is needed to turn the tide of the decreasing numbers of transplants. It only takes a single choice by referring doctors to let go of the old perception in order to save the lives of many who are unfairly affected by professional prejudice toward organ donor referrals. We are appealing to everyone who can make a difference to remember the growing number of patients in KZN. We appeal to the media to hear our pleas on behalf of the patients of KZN, who deserve to be heard and treated fairly,” Vermeulen said.
While the figures remain bleak for KZN, the number of people signing up on the national organ donor register has increased in the past five years and there are now 43 396 registered organ donors.
Cindy Goldie, the transplant co-ordinator at Gateway Private Hospital, added her voice to the plea, saying transplantation was healthy and ethical.
Related Articles
Broaching the subject of organ donation
Transplant athlete needs your help
