By Zuko Komisa
- Gauteng academic hospitals have performed over 150 life-saving kidney and liver transplants between 2021 and 2026.
- Inter-hospital collaborations are expanding patient access to critical specialised surgical care across the province.
- The Department of Health is actively driving public awareness campaigns to encourage organ donation and registration.
For patients facing organ failure, life often shrinks to a tense waiting room. Across Gauteng, however, premier academic hospitals are offering families a renewed lease on life through vital transplant procedures.
Between 2021 and 2026, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital recorded 125 transplant recipients, including 71 kidneys and 54 livers.
During the same period, Steve Biko Academic Hospital performed 31 kidney transplants.
Care is also reaching further through institutional teamwork. Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital recently partnered with Steve Biko Academic Hospital, successfully completing two kidney transplants and proving the power of medical collaboration.
Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Steve Mabona highlighted the profound impact of these procedures, noting:
“The Department recognises that organ transplantation can be life-changing for patients suffering from organ failure and continues to promote organ donation as an important intervention that can give patients an opportunity for a better quality of life.”
To bridge the gap between supply and demand, the Department uses mainstream media, social platforms, and campus radio to educate communities and encourage public organ donor registration.
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