The Organ Donor Foundation of SA (ODF) has announced that it can now see exactly how many people started filling in their online registration form, how far they got and how many submitted it.
According to the ODF, 75% of people never finished the registration process, which means they could not be added to the organ donor registry. This is in contrast to the 80% of people asked by the ODF in a street survey who said they would accept an organ transplant if they needed one.
Age, race and gender do not seem to play a role in why people start filling in the form but decide not to click "submit". The ODF says it believes the reluctance might be due to a lack of knowledge about organ donation.
"People fear the unknown, which is why it's so important to educate them and give them the facts," says Jooste Vermeulen, Executive Director of Business Development at the ODF.
Dispelling Misconceptions
Some of the misconceptions the ODF wants to dispel include the belief that donors are still alive when transplants are performed, that there is a secret black market for organs in South Africa and that doctors will not fight as hard to save an individual if they are a registered donor. All three are completely false, says the foundation.
They ODF also aims to educate people about things like brain death and the importance of telling their family that they want to be an organ donor. Without their family's consent after death, no donation can take place, adds the foundation.
The ODF aims to educate people in various ways. They have three to four awareness stands a week in different locations across the country, an awareness talk, printed and electronic materials, two Facebook pages, media coverage and a website featuring a FAQ section, says the foundation.
Anyone Can Register as a Donor
Their website emphasises that one donor can save up to seven lives. The organs that can be donated are the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas. Anyone can register, regardless of their age, medical condition, medication, weight, or habits like smoking or drinking, adds the foundation.
The ODF concludes that this August, National Organ Donor Awareness Month, it urges everyone register as a donor. Individuals interested in becoming a donor can fill in the registration form via the ODF's official website.
For more information, visit www.odf.org.za.
*Image courtesy of www.odf.org.za