The number of heart transplants being conducted in South Africa’s public sector has shown a dramatic decline – at Groote Schuur Hospital only five transplants were conducted this year, compared to the 30 transplants conducted there in the mid-90s.
That is according to Groote Schuur Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Tim Pennel, who was in East London yesterday to speak at a seminar on the prevalence, available treatment and possible ways to avoid heart disease.
Led by a team of South African heart specialists, the seminar at Life St Dominic’s Hospital was themed “Current and Future Frontiers in Heart Disease and Treatments”.
The event also marked the 50th anniversary of the first human-to-human heart transplant by Prof Chris Barnard in 1967.
Addressing a packed venue made up of both health professionals and members of the general public, along with Dr Pennel were cardiologist Dr Dave Kettles, with a video interview with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Willie Koen.
Pennel works at the Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, the only facility in the public sector of South Africa which does heart transplant surgery.
According to Pennel, heart disease is mostly prevalent in Africa, with cardiovascular disease now overtaking infectious diseases as the leading cause of death in South Africa.
A recent study conducted by the University Cape Town and published in the European Heart Journal revealed that the median age of patients presenting with rheumatic heart disease was 28.
With only 75 cardiac centres on the African continent, 45 of which are in South Africa and with a whopping 40 of those belonging to the private sector, he said the reason for their being fewer heart transplants being conducted in the public sector than ever before could be due to the transition in the structure of healthcare from tertiary to primary, with a disinvestment in tertiary care, plus the involvement of the private sector in cardiac care.
“And we’ve definitely noticed that, particularity within the organ donor sector, people are less willing and also less trusting of doctors, which contributes to that,” he said.
Adding to this was Koen, who said heart disease was more prevalent now than ever before, with the possible causes linked to poor diet.
With proper infrastructure, access to doctors and bed space a major challenge in the health sector, Koen predicted mechanical pumps would overtake heart transplantation in the next 10 years. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Dramatic decline in heart transplants, says surgeon
That is according to Groote Schuur Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Tim Pennel, who was in East London yesterday to speak at a seminar on the prevalence, available treatment and possible ways to avoid heart disease.
Led by a team of South African heart specialists, the seminar at Life St Dominic’s Hospital was themed “Current and Future Frontiers in Heart Disease and Treatments”.
The event also marked the 50th anniversary of the first human-to-human heart transplant by Prof Chris Barnard in 1967.
Addressing a packed venue made up of both health professionals and members of the general public, along with Dr Pennel were cardiologist Dr Dave Kettles, with a video interview with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Willie Koen.
Pennel works at the Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, the only facility in the public sector of South Africa which does heart transplant surgery.
According to Pennel, heart disease is mostly prevalent in Africa, with cardiovascular disease now overtaking infectious diseases as the leading cause of death in South Africa.
A recent study conducted by the University Cape Town and published in the European Heart Journal revealed that the median age of patients presenting with rheumatic heart disease was 28.
With only 75 cardiac centres on the African continent, 45 of which are in South Africa and with a whopping 40 of those belonging to the private sector, he said the reason for their being fewer heart transplants being conducted in the public sector than ever before could be due to the transition in the structure of healthcare from tertiary to primary, with a disinvestment in tertiary care, plus the involvement of the private sector in cardiac care.
“And we’ve definitely noticed that, particularity within the organ donor sector, people are less willing and also less trusting of doctors, which contributes to that,” he said.
Adding to this was Koen, who said heart disease was more prevalent now than ever before, with the possible causes linked to poor diet.
With proper infrastructure, access to doctors and bed space a major challenge in the health sector, Koen predicted mechanical pumps would overtake heart transplantation in the next 10 years. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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