This week, Tygerberg Hospital unveiled the continent’s first Life Pod – a cutting-edge facility dedicated to saving lives through organ donation.
This transformative centre has been established to revolutionise transplant medicine, offering hope to thousands awaiting life-saving procedures.
A new era for transplants
A report from The Newspaper suggests that the revolutionary hub is a groundbreaking project of Save7, a non-profit founded and led by students from Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). Designed to tackle one of South Africa’s biggest transplant challenges, the Life Pod provides a dedicated space to care for consented organ donors during the critical 12 to 36-hour window before surgery.
Currently, a severe shortage of ICU beds means many potential donors are moved to morgues before their organs can be retrieved, wasting precious opportunities to save lives. The Life Pod changes that, ensuring more viable organs reach those in desperate need on time.
South Africa’s health crisis issue: Limited resources
South Africa’s organ donation crisis is dire, with only 0.6% of the population registered as donors, one of the lowest rates globally. Yet, over 4 000 patients remain on transplant waiting lists, desperately hoping for a second chance at life.
The country’s health crisis isn’t a lack of skill, as its surgeons pioneered the world’s first heart transplant. Instead, it’s a matter of limited resources such as insufficient ICU beds.
Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University and former head of The Transplant Society, Professor Elmi Muller, highlighted that the country’s transplant rates have been stagnant as the number of people needing donors has rapidly increased.
‘We have, over the past 10 years, had more or less the same number of donors in the country, particularly deceased donors. Meanwhile, our patients that need transplants have been growing, and the waiting lists have become longer,’ she added.
Turning passion into action: How med students established a life-saving institute
What began as a group of first-year medical students sharing tragic stories in lecture halls has grown into something that has become a beacon of hope.
According to one of the students, the team behind Save7 heard Lynette Stuurman’s heartbreaking account in 2021, where a 30-year-old local shopkeeper at their Maties shop faced the same fate as her sister, who died waiting for a kidney transplant.
‘Her sister had died two years previously, awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant that never came. Now she was sitting in the same position, waiting to die,’ recalls Wright. That moment sparked their determination to act immediately, without waiting to complete their graduation.
The students added that they began the research after realising that 60 viable organs that could save lives were not being used, and they believed that this issue needed more than just raising awareness.
Making it happen
The Life Pod project’s vision was brought to life by the four students’ creative fundraising efforts and strong partnerships. Henri van der Westhuizen, Gerhard Niewoudt, Alexander van Wyk, and Jonty Wright took on Ironman 70.3 triathlons under their ‘Tri for Life’ campaign, using their athletic efforts to promote organ donation awareness while raising funds.
Key support from The Health Foundation and Tygerberg Hospital provided space and operational assistance. Donated medical equipment, including beds, monitors, ventilators, and supplies, helped fully equip the facility.
‘It’s kitted out with everything you would expect, from patient monitors to infusion sets to ventilators. We’ve got everything needed to support and take care of a donor,’ said Sachen Naidu, who is the Secretary General of Save7.
A lifesaving leap forward
The Life Pod is expected to handle one or two donor cases each month, which could save more than 100 lives annually. Since a single donor can provide up to seven organs, this facility will significantly boost transplant opportunities for South African patients in need.
Professor André van der Merwe, head of Transplant Surgery and Urology at Tygerberg Hospital, called the Life Pod a crucial step forward in the organ donation effort and lauded the students for their dedication and drive.
‘This Life Pod represents a major advancement in our fight to save lives through organ donation,’ he stated.
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Picture: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences / Facebook
