Would you like to Donate?
You can donate your organs one day when you pass away, but if you’re really keen to make a difference while you’re still alive, please consider donating financially to TELL.
Projects
Healthcare providers have a relationship with the family member/s of the deceased and their professional experience plays a role in increasing knowledge of families regarding organ donation.
Some medical professionals will decide not to have the conversation with the family based on their cultural and religious beliefs. Rather refer all potential donors and give the family the option to consent to donation. People of different ethnicities and races match each other for organs and tissue.
If you’re a medical professional and want to refer a potential organ donor please call your local
Transplant Coordinator.
Shadow Surgery
As future healthcare professionals, the students need to understand the organ and tissue donation process, for when they are working in the hospitals and the situation arises that there is a potential donor, they will have the correct information and to refer the potential donor to the transplant coordinator. These students are part of the community and by educating them, we hope that they will become ambassadors for organ and tissue transplants
TELL in collaboration with Wits Donald Gordon Medical Transplant Centre launched the Shadow Surgery programme. We approached the TUKS Student Surgical Society and the Wits Student Surgical Society to partner with us to reach medical students at the universities, both of these societies focusing on the surgical field. TELL’s role in the programme is to manage the administration and marketing.
Our partnership with the transplant unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre gives medical students the opportunity to spend the day with the transplant team. They accompany the team on their ward rounds, have the opportunity to talk to various specialists and then the highlight is to witness a liver or kidney transplant from beginning to end. This education programme gives much-needed exposure to the students and foster a positive attitude towards organ and tissue donation, which is vital for referring potential donors to transplant centres.
If you want get involved and help us continue this project, please get in touch with us.
Organ Donation: From Death to Life
Open online course
Developed and Presented by Dr David Thomson, critical-care specialist and transplant surgeon.
The goal of the course is to educate health professionals on organ donation, covering the intricacies of the entire organ donation process, including the prerequisites of informed consent and the dead donor rule.
In this course you will learn about the science behind death determination and when it is possible for deceased organ donation take place. The lectures will cover medical standards at the end of life – from brain death testing, to requesting informed consent from a grieving family. By improving knowledge of good ethical practices, cultural and religious considerations and the logistics of the organ donation process this course will empower the interactions and discussions of medical professionals and the general public at an often confusing time.
This course will help you to ensure that the option of organ donation is compassionately explored in all appropriate situations at the end of life in the best way possible.
Watch the course trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-kVtmZGRs
“I firmly believe that with a better understanding of all that is involved, we can greatly improve the number of lives saved by transplantation.” D Thomson
The course is certified for continuing professional development (CPD) points in South Africa. Send your completion certificate to organdonation@uct.ac.za together with your HPCSA number for 25 general and 5 ethics points.
Educational Talks
In South Africa there is a desperate need for educating medical staff about organ donation. A big contributing factor to the shortage of organs is unidentified potential donors. We have shared our personal stories, as well as general facts about organ and tissue donation with emergency medical staff, nursing staff and doctors, with extremely positive feedback. We do this either on our own per invitation, or alongside transplant coordinators as a part of their in-service training.
Please contact usto discuss any of the following events or opportunities.
● CPD events
● Motivational speaking
● Presentations to medical staff
● Presentations to medical students
The focus of the presentation will cover topics such as the need for organ and tissue donors and the transplant process.
If you want us to present a talk please click here
You can donate your organs one day when you pass away, but if you’re really keen to make a difference while you’re still alive, please consider donating financially to TELL.
Email: info@tell.org.za
Call: +27 827852530
