How to Become A Kidney Donor In South Africa

A living donor is a healthy person who has undergone extensive testing and agrees to donate one healthy kidney to a ESRD patient.

Who Cannot be a kidney donor?

There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor. These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections. Having a serious mental health condition that requires treatment may also prevent you from being a donor.

Can u live with only one kidney?

However, the loss in kidney function is usually very mild, and life span is normal. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems. In other words, one healthy kidney can work as well as two.

Can a male give a female a kidney?

Conclusions. Our results suggested gender matching for kidney transplant. Only in some exceptional conditions, male donor to female recipient kidney transplant may be successful and female donors to male recipients are not suggested, especially in aged patients with the history of dialysis

How to Become A Kidney Donor In South Africa

Do you meet the kidney donor requirements?

Before moving ahead with becoming a kidney donor, you must meet certain basic kidney donation requirements. In general, a kidney donor must:

Be 18 years of age or older

Be in good physical and mental health

Have normal kidney function

If you want to become a kidney donor, you will undergo medical and psychological tests to make sure you’re healthy enough to donate a kidney. You will also go through a series of medical tests at the transplant center to see if you’re a match for the transplant recipient and if you’re ready for surgery. Before kidney donation you’ll have:

Blood tests

Tissue typing tests

Antibody tests

Pre–surgery health screening

benefits of kidney donation

It is easy to recognize the benefits of a successful kidney transplant for the person getting the new kidney—better health, a greater quality of life, and a potentially longer lifespan can all have a life-changing impact.

There can also be big benefits to becoming a kidney donor.

After a kidney donation, the donor often feels deeply rewarded and fulfilled by helping to save someone’s life. Some donors also feel more in touch with their own health and feel committed to taking good care of themselves after kidney donation surgery.

What to know about kidney donation risks and considerations

While donating an organ is no small thing, most kidney donation risks are minor, and many living donors are able to have less invasive, laparoscopic surgery.

Here are some things to know before donating a kidney:

If you decide to donate, the transplant hospital will assign you an advocate who will discuss what typically happens before, during and after surgery and answer all your questions.

You’ll want to be sure you have adequate medical insurance in case pre-donation screening finds a condition requiring treatment or you have a medical problem after the kidney removal.

After donating a kidney, it may be more difficult to get life insurance or disability insurance, and your rates may go up.

Women who donate a kidney and later become pregnant may have more complications in pregnancy.

When living with 1 kidney, you’ll have annual checkups to make sure it’s working well. You’ll also need blood pressure checks every year since it tends to go up slightly after kidney donation.

It’s common to have strong emotions after donating a kidney. You might feel depressed, even if everything goes well. Getting support after organ donation is important. Contact your transplant center about resources or find a mental health professional that can help.

It doesn’t happen often, but if you donate a kidney and your remaining kidney fails, you’ll be given high priority on the transplant waiting list for a kidney donation.

How much does a kidney donation cost in South Africa?

Cost comparisons

Kidney transplants are very cheap in countries like India, Mexico, and South Africa compared to European countries like Germany and Turkey. The costs of transplantation in South Africa can range anywhere between one and two lakh Rands. This can be converted to 7000 to 15000 US dollars

How do I donate a kidney in South Africa?

For more information on how to become an organ donor, call the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa on their toll-free number on 0800 22 66 11 or visit their website.

Who Cannot be a kidney donor?

There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor. These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections. Having a serious mental health condition that requires treatment may also prevent you from being a donor.

Can a male give a female a kidney in South Africa ?

Conclusions. Our results suggested gender matching for kidney transplant. Only in some exceptional conditions, male donor to female recipient kidney transplant may be successful and female donors to male recipients are not suggested, especially in aged patients with the history of dialysis.

Do you have to have the same blood type to donate a kidney?

Kidney donors must have a compatible blood type with the recipient. The Rh factor (+ or -) of blood does not matter in a transplant. Donors with blood type Ocan donate to recipients with blood types A, B, AB and O (O is the universal donor: donors with O blood are compatible with any other blood type)

Do kidney donors get money in South Africa?

This also applies to people who donate and receive gametes. So, in a nutshell, South African law prohibits you from making a profit from donating your organs, eggs or sperm

Can O positive donate kidney to anyone in South Africa ?

‘O’ donors are universal donors and can give to anyone.

What will disqualify you from donating a kidney in South Africa ?

To donate a kidney, you must be in good physical and mental health . There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor . These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections