Posts tagged “Bypass Movie”

My post from last week generated some debate. Opinions regarding whether or not “Bypass movie” could damage SA’s transplant system are polarised. It’s an interesting discussion, but no response has been convincing enough to change my mind – I still think that the film and its advertising have propensity to harm. I’m not going into any more detail; rather, I want to focus on other aspects of transplant which I think are sometimes overlooked. Why is public awareness in SA such a challenge? SA is unique and complex. 11 languages are spoken; literacy levels, socio-political and socio-economic statuses differ vastly and people hold differing socio-cultural and religious beliefs. This diversity makes comprehensive public awareness a huge challenge. Moreover, whilst public awareness is important, it…

Categories: Organ donation and transplant

Tagged: advertising, barriers to organ donation, barriers to transplant, Bypass Movie, organ donation, public awareness, South Africa

Bypass Movie – Bypassing (some of) the facts for a thrill?

Dr. Harriet Etheredge

Posted on May 15, 2017

I’m a fan of thrillers and 100% behind SA’s burgeoning performing arts. “Bypass” is a South African transplant movie, and I went to see it. I thought the story-line was quite compelling with elements of love, suspense, surprise and a twist-in-the-tail. I also thought the acting was great. I am no movie critic though… The plot – briefly: A desperate mother flies to an east-African country to purchase a liver for her dying son. But, she soon discovers that the ‘donors’ are impoverished people from the community whose lives are considered ‘worthless’. These individuals are literally ‘killed for their organs’ which can save the lives of those with the potential to make a meaningful contribution to society.

So… It’s just a film! What’s the problem?

Most notably, the way in which organ donation and transplant is portrayed could, in my opinion, be quite damaging. Here’s why…

Organ transplant, as it happens on the ground, comes down to questions of life and death. These seem quite abstract to many of us, and they make for a great movie. But for those who have actually lived the experience, transplant often becomes a quintessential part of their identity. For recipients, there’s the challenge of re-identifying yourself as you move into a new phase of life, with an organ from someone else in your body. For donor families there is a time of grief, tinged with hope and the long search for closure and peace after losing a loved-one. None of this should be taken lightly and you get a sense of the profound ways that transplant affects people by reading this blog, by a lung recipient. So, I think Bypass rather sensationalises and over-simplifies an issue that is much more complex.

Next, Bypass claims to be “inspired by true events”. I imagine that the ‘true event’ being referred to is the infamous Netcare Case. I am absolutely not condoning the actions of anyone involved in the Netcare Case, but I must point out that no-one was ‘killed for their organs’ – it revolved around living ‘donor’ transplant. It would be a great pity if Bypass exacerbates a general misconception and mistrust about organ transplant which is already prevalent in the SA setting. This could ultimately prevent people from consenting to donate organs of a loved one.

Finally, Bypass employs some highly emotive, negatively-connoted terminology. Donors are referred to as “stock” and the procedure of organ extraction is referred to as “harvesting” – a term which is not accepted in the international transplant community.

Sure, I think Bypass has been a success in creating debate, and I realise that this post sounds a lot like the fun-police, these annoying academics… But I’m not sure our transplant system can withstand such a negative portrayal. (Some may say: “Of course it can” – look at how many new sign-ups took place after the Bypass advertising campaign. But a word of caution, you’d be mistaken to think that a new sign-up actually equated to another organ donor, as discussed here).

The views published in this blog are entirely my own (informed) opinions. They are open to debate, discussion and disagreement.

Categories: Organ donation and transplant

Tagged: Bypass Movie, organ donation, organ transplant, South Africa

Organ sales hoax dramatically increases donor sign-up in South Africa – But what does ‘signing up’ really mean?

Dr. Harriet Etheredge

Posted on May 2, 2017

A recent article published by Bhekisisa discussed an unexpected consequence of promotional activities for the movie “Bypass”, which is ostensibly based on the Netcare ‘KidneyGate’ case (which never actually went to full trial, by the way, so we don’t really know what happened). In Cape Town, flyers which purportedly advertised a hospital where wealthy people in need of organs could buy them from poorer ‘donors’ were distributed. In SA, organ sales are illegal and many in the medical community – those on the ground who actually spend their days trying to facilitate transplants – were understandably upset. But this sentiment wasn’t necessarily shared. In the week after the hoax, the Organ Donor Foundation (ODF) reported a 30% increase in donor sign-ups.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s heartening that so many South Africans appear willing to donate their organs after death. But I have some concerns that when ‘singing-up’, people don’t necessarily understand the process and how it is impacted by SA legislation. This is evidenced by live, healthy people who have signed-up saying things like: “I am an organ donor! Are you?”. The answer is: “No, I’m not an organ donor, I am still alive, so I can’t actually be a donor at the moment”.

In a 2016 supplement to the Mail and Guardian Newspaper I discussed some of the pitfalls which people ought to be aware of when signing up as a potential organ donor. The bottom line is that yes, you can and should sign-up, but doing so is not legally binding in SA and doesn’t actually mean that your organs will be donated upon your death. Ultimately, the written authorisation of your family is needed. At the time of your death, your family may feel unwilling or hesitant to provide this authorisation – and there are a number of reasons for this (grief, being uncertain about your wishes or they may have their own beliefs about organ donation which aren’t the same as yours etc.). Be assured though, that your family are under no obligation to acquiesce to your wishes just because you have signed up. Because a person’s family is the gatekeeper of the final organ donation decision, I think it’s much more important that you have discussed your preferences with your family and that they know how you feel about organ donation and why you want to be a donor.

Another equal but opposite misconception amongst the SA public seems to be that you can only donate organs if you have signed up. This is false. You may have never considered organ donation, never discussed it with your family and never signed up. But if it gets to the point where you are ‘brain-stem dead’ and the circumstances are conducive, your family may be asked to consider organ donation anyway. They are legally entitled to authorise it regardless of whether you have signed up or not.

Finally, the public should be aware that although the ODF keeps a list of donor sign-ups, this is not actually available in hospitals where donors are identified – so, if you were under the impression that someone types your name into a computer and can find out whether or not you have signed-up as a donor, think again. Your family are the ones who eventually decide, it’s most important that they know what you want.

The views published in this blog are entirely my own (informed) opinions. They are open to debate, discussion and disagreement.

Categories: Organ donation and transplant

Tagged: Bypass Movie, Netcare kidney case, organ donation, Organ hoax, Signing-up, South Africa

Dr Harriet Etheredge

Medical Bioethicist. Health Communication Specialist. Speaker. Author. South Africa.

Posts tagged “Bypass Movie”

Enhancing organ donation in SA – beyond public awareness

Dr. Harriet Etheredge

Posted on May 22, 2017

Bypass Movie – Bypassing (some of) the facts for a thrill?

Dr. Harriet Etheredge

Posted on May 15, 2017

So… It’s just a film! What’s the problem?

Organ sales hoax dramatically increases donor sign-up in South Africa – But what does ‘signing up’ really mean?

Dr. Harriet Etheredge

Posted on May 2, 2017