Winston Baatjies, a liver transplant recipient, whose story is a reminder of why organ donation matter.
A liver transplant programme at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) has introduced a new machine perfusion system that clinicians say could significantly expand the number of viable donor organs and improve survival chances for patients awaiting transplants.
The technology allows donor livers to be kept functioning outside the body, enabling doctors to assess and optimise organ condition in real time before transplantation. Medical staff say this is particularly important in South Africa, where organ shortages continue to limit access to life-saving procedures.
“Every viable organ matters in South Africa’s transplant environment,” said Professor Jerome Loveland, head of Solid Organ Transplantation at WDGMC. “Technologies like machine perfusion help us make better-informed decisions and expand the pool of usable organs, directly benefiting patients who might otherwise not survive the wait.”
Dr Bilal Bobat, Prof Jerome Loveland, Dr Sharan Rambarran and Dr Dinen Parbhoo.
