DonateLife WA’s Dr Simon Towler calls on wealthy to lend private jets for organ donation transfers amid coronavirus

A top Perth doctor is calling on WA’s wealthy to lend their private jets for organ donation transfers, after shifting transplants across the country has been significantly disrupted amid coronavirus. A drop in commercial flights has further exacerbated the fragile timeframe medical professionals have to match, transfer and perform life-saving transplants. DonateLife WA acting medical director Dr Simon Towler has already praised business magnate Kerry Stokes for making corporate jets available but called on the State’s other high-profile figures to step up and help. “What we hadn’t expected was the grounding of aeroplanes because we’re part of the national network. We’ve been using charter jets a bit more,” he said. “Organ donation and transplantation was reduced dramatically. So only patients who are likely to die within the next four months actually remain active (on the waiting list),” he said. Scarborough man Ceejay Lewy knows what it feels like to be waiting on a hospital bed for a kidney transplant to arrive. While the 37-year-old was on a waiting list for his second transplant for seven years, he said it felt like forever to receive his match from Queensland after he was notified. “I got the call in bed around 11pm at night. I told them I would be at the hospital in half an hour. I was waiting for a good day for it to come from Queensland. The Queensland floods were on at the time so there were delays. Anything you they can do would be great,” Mr Lewy said. Dr Towler will appear on Channel 7’s panel show Flashpoint tonight, alongside the head of immunology at PathWest’s Fiona Stanley Hospital laboratory Dr Dianne De Santis. Both Dr Towler and Dr De Santis are also calling for a public education campaign to help increase WA donation, which is below State average. Last year , WA had 52 donation of organs, which saved 129 lives.