Organ and tissue donation is a simple choice that will cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time to register. Organ transplants are undertaken in both government and private hospitals . Currently heart, kidney, cornea and liver transplants are carried out at numerous hospitals.
Who can be an Organ/Tissue donor
If you are under the age of 70,
If you are in good health, and if you are clear of any predefined chronic diseases that might cause further health complications for the recipient(s).
Can i donate an Organ/Tissue while i am alive?
Yes, in some cases. Live donations, such as kidney transplants, are often done between family members, because the blood groups and tissue types are more compatible which ensures a high success rate.
Which organs can be transplanted?
Your heart, liver and pancreas can save 3 lives and your kidneys and lungs can help up to 4 people.
Which tissues can be transplanted?
You can help up to 50 people by donating your corneas, skin, bone and hearth valves.
What’s the difference between an organ and a tissue donor?
The concept is the same: a person decides that after his/her own death, someone else should benefit from healthy organs and tissue through transplantation – rather than it going to the grave with the rest of their body. Organs are retrieved when a patient is brain stem dead, still in hospital and mechanically supported on a ventilator. Few people’s circumstances in death actually come to this point.
Can I agree to donate only some organs or tissue and not others?
Yes, please inform your family which organs/tissue you don’t wish to donate.
How long after death do the organs/tissue have to be removed?
it is essential that organs/tissue are removed as soon as possible after the brain death, in order to ensure a successful transplantation. Brain death has to be certified by 2 independent doctors.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
SOLID ORGANS such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas can only be donated if your loved one has been diagnosed with brain death and is on a ventilator in a hospital. In this case, upon receiving your call, the Organ Donor Foundation will pass on the information to the nearest transplant centre and soon thereafter a transplant coordinator will contact you.
TISSUE such as bone, skin, corneas and heart valves may be used if your loved one is either on a ventilator or has already passed away and their body is at the mortuary or undertakers. In this case, a representative from the Tissue Banks or Eye Bank will be in touch with you.
THE ORGAN DONOR FOUNDATION IS NOT A MEDICAL ORGANISATION AND OFFERS THE ABOVE SERVICE TO ASSIST WITH ORGAN AND TISSUE REFERRALS ONLY. OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE NOT TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.
Giving consent
It is important to inform your family of your intentions and membership , as your organs can’t be procured for transplantation without consent from your next of kin.
Parents need to give written consent if they give permission for their babies, toddlers and teenagers younger than 18 to be organ donors.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE : Provisions in the National Health Act : receiving “any form of financial or other reward” for donating tissue, blood and blood products and gametes (eggs and sperm) is considered an offence. Payment may only be received “for the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred” for providing the donation.
Certain regulated institutions such as hospitals may receive payment, but this payment isrestrictedto covering the costs involved in the “importation, export, acquisition or supply” of the tissue, blood and blood products.
This also applies to people who donate and receive gametes. So, in a nutshell, South African law prohibits you from making a profit from donating your organs, eggs or sperm.
Author: Health.co.za
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