HISTORY OF THE ORGAN DONOR FOUNDATION

The Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa was founded in 1988 to address the critical shortage of donor organs in South Africa. It was established by a group of businessmen, medical personnel involved in transplantation, transplant recipients and service organisations including Medic Alert, Lions Club and Round Table.

The foundation is the national umbrella body for the promotion of organ donation. We actively plan and implement education and publicity programmes that are designed to raise awareness of organ donation among the public and the medical profession.

Through the Transplant Flight for Life flight programme, we play a crucial role in funding emergency flights to transport organs from the donor to the recipient as quickly as possible. We established the programme in 1989, in memory of a heart transplant patient who devised the concept.

This flight programme has had a significant impact on the growth of heart and liver transplantation in particular. Since the Flight for Life programme was set up we have saved more than 350 lives.