Marking the national Kidney Awareness Week, Gauteng MEC for Health, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi encourages the public to give the gift of life to 182 patients that are awaiting organ transplant at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Dr Mokgethi says the majority of the patients on the organ transplant waiting list are those who require kidney transplant.
“The organ transplant waiting list is made up of 168 adults and 14 children. These patients are ready for the transplant as soon as a matching organ becomes available,” said Dr Mokgethi.
According to the Gauteng Health MEC, the average waiting period for transplant ranges between one and two years or even more, depending on the organ required.
“Some patients wait up to five years as they have no living or non-living related donor and are waiting for a cadaver organ to become available,” Dr Mokgethi adds.
She noted that there is a shortage of organs in South Africa due to low uptake of organ donation amongst the populace. Dr Mokgethi added that only 1.2 per million population people donate organs in the country.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded matters as many elective surgeries had to be put on hold as resources were reassigned to fight the outbreak,” she said.
Dr Mokgethi noted that one person can save eight lives with a single organ donation and up to 50 people can be saved with a tissue donation.
She said, “Organs that are urgently needed include heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Whilst tissue needed urgently include corneas, skin and long bones.”
She added that by donating, more lives will be saved and as a donor you will be giving gift of life not only to the recipient but the entire family.
“Those who wish to donate organs should share their last wishes with their direct family members as they need to give consent for organ donation at their time of death,” Dr Mokgethi added.
