by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE Wits University Liver Transplant Programme has achieved its 1,000th liver transplant, marking a significant milestone for South African healthcare and reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s leading transplant centres.
The programme, a partnership between Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, has evolved into a major referral centre serving patients from across South Africa and the wider region.
Since performing its first liver transplant in 2004, it has completed 637 adult and 363 paediatric procedures.
Over the past two decades, the programme has pioneered several advances in liver transplantation, including living donor transplants for adults and children, split liver transplantation, ABO-incompatible transplantation, HIV-positive donor liver transplantation and monosegment liver transplantation.
Most recently, it introduced liver machine perfusion technology, helping to preserve donor organs and maximise their use amid persistent shortages.
Professor Jerome Loveland, Academic Head of Transplantation at Wits, said the milestone reflected years of collaboration, innovation and specialist expertise.
“People often see the transplant operation as the defining moment. In reality, it is the culmination of years of expertise and systems development across highly specialised teams,” he said.
Despite the achievement, the programme says South Africa continues to face a critical shortage of donor organs, leaving many patients waiting for life-saving transplants.
While medical innovations are expanding access to treatment, increasing public awareness and participation in organ donation remains essential to improving survival rates and giving more patients the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives across the country.
– CAJ News