TRANSPLANT HEARTBREAK

UP to 731 organ transplants have been cancelled because of the pandemic.

They included 555 kidney replacements in the first five months of this year, 219 of them from living donors.

Dad-of-two Andy Jones, 38, was among them, with wife Stacey, 38, a teacher, set to donate. Recruitment director Andy has only 14 per cent kidney function and was due a transplant at Liverpool’s Royal Hospital on April 7.

Andy, of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, said: “We were disappointed but I will deal with this as and when.”

But like others who face delays, Andy may have to now go on dialysis.

According to Department of Health figures, 119 liver, 37 lung, ten heart and seven multiorgan transplants were also scrapped. Health Minister

Helen Whately said “very urgent lifesaving transplants” were still able to go ahead.

Dr Aisling Mcmahon of Kidney Research UK said: “Getting services back up and running must be prioritised.

“Speed is of the essence to kidney patients waiting for lifesaving transplants.”

It comes on top of analysis of missed hospital treatments.

Tackle

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says two million people are waiting for cancer screening, tests or treatment, with 1,600 cancers undiagnosed every month.

He added: “It’s now urgent ministers bring forward a plan to tackle the backlog.”

Of 840,700 people waiting for diagnostic tests, those waiting longer than six weeks shot up from three per cent in February to 56 per cent.

Macmillan Cancer warned of a “ticking timebomb”.