Kidney transplants cancellation 'devastates' charities
Charities in Northern Ireland have said they are "devastated" after several life-saving kidney transplants within the Belfast Health Trust area could not go ahead at the weekend.
The trust was offered healthy kidneys from deceased donors.
But they were turned down as the operations could not be carried out without sufficient staff.
The trust has apologised and blamed the staff shortage on a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals.
Patty Gilbert, co-chair of the Northern Ireland Kidney Patients' Association, said she found the situation "dismaying".
"It goes without saying that there is devastation all round that unfortunately we are having to face this again as a renal community," she said.
"The Belfast Trust was under dreadful pressure last year and we know that surgeries had to be paused then.
"We are hoping that will not be a situation that has to be reconsidered.
"The pressure that our health service is under where staff are having to transfer out of renal services into ICU (intensive care units) to look after other very sick patients is a situation that I find dismaying."
- Kidney transplants cancelled amid staff shortage
- Belfast Trust to cancel some cancer surgeries
- Kidneys being turned down for transplant surgeries
The cancellation of the transplants comes after some health trusts postponed cancer surgeries at the end of July.
On Monday the Royal College of Surgeons said those cancellations could have been avoided.
Last year a record number of kidney transplants were carried out in Northern Ireland in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
But in November the transplant system was suspended because of the Covid-19-related pressure on the health service.
Susan Kee, the chair of the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund, said she was "completely devastated" that some kidney transplants could not go ahead within the Belfast Health Trust area at the weekend.
"Currently there are over 700 people with chronic kidney disease in Northern Ireland on dialysis," she added.
"It's like a death in the family, if you can't get that kidney that's for you.
"Not everyone is suitable for transplant, but for those that are, it is life-changing.
"You may wait years for that call and when it comes it is creating a new life."
