At one of Cape Town’s biggest state facilities, the pandemic has meant organ transplants have been put on hold.
eNCA’s Lindsay Dentlinger spoke to a transplant coordinator who’s now caring for coronavirus patients.
CAPE TOWN - COVID-19 has meant many changes to the way hospitals operate and, for some of their patients, it’s meant a longer wait for elective surgery.Luke Steenkamp has been a nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital since 2006.After 10 years of working in trauma and emergency, he became a transplant coordinator working with both living and deceased donors.Steenkamp said, “Since the pandemic, we have had to shut down because the patients we are receiving are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
While he’s used to having tough conversations with the families of potential donors, the treatment of COVID-19 patients who are unable to see their families, has been hard on him too. For now, it is unknown what impact COVID-19 will have on organ transplants at this hospital – where the world’s first heart transplant was performed.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'We have reason to be optimistic': How SA is taming Covid-19 stormSA is finally seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel.
Read more »
'We have reason to be optimistic': How SA is taming Covid-19 stormSA is finally seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel.
Read more »
EXCLUSIVE: SA mineral exports rebound strongly in June despite Covid-19SA’s mineral exports data shines in June as the rand depreciates against the dollar
Read more »
SA banks provide over R45bn in Covid-19 financial reliefBanks have provided a cumulative R45.56 billion in financial relief and loan guarantees to individuals and businesses that were financially distressed due to Covid-19 and the associated lockdown, the Banking Association of SA said on Monday.
Read more »
Covid-19 financial impact on SA universities stands at over R3.8bnThe Higher Education Department says the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on university expenditure is over R3.8 billion.
Read more »