Media slammed for identifying organ donors

It was "appalling and unethical" for the media to identify organ donors, the Organ Donor Foundation said on Wednesday.

"The families of donors have gone through a great deal of trauma and their privacy should be respected," said Organ Donor Foundation chairman Doctor Otter Thaning in a statement.

"The reason why that kind of information remains in confidence is if others are faced with a problem in the future, and if they are approached to donate, they wouldn't want to," he said.

"The wrong kind of information can come out and people can say 'gosh we can't subject ourselves to that."

In South Africa and internationally there was a "huge shortage" of donors of life-giving organs, he added, and reckless reporting could make the problem worse.

A story in a newspaper this week detailed interviews with an organ donor's mother who was upset and did not fully understand the gravity of donating her daughter's heart to a stranger.

She, however, willingly spoke to the paper about the matter.

Thaning said it was "inapproriate" for the media to approach people who were not "well informed" or "confused".

Consent was obtained for the donation from the woman's estranged husband, he said, adding that "proper protocols" were adhered to.

He said the media needed to be "circumspect and respectful" when it came to reporting on organ donors.