When asked for her reaction to Lutali being denied the transplant surgery, Fougner said, “I’m stunned. I’m part of the medical community, and I’m just stunned at the lack of compassion and consideration and involvement of Leilani in her own care. It’s like they’re holding my kidney hostage, and she’s going to die because they won’t give it to her.”
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Ingram then asked about the reasoning and science behind the hospital’s decision, and suggested that Lutali could sign a liability waiver in the event of any complications.
“I’ve proposed that. I’ve proposed a number of things to my coordinator, one of which was a medical waiver. I have to sign a waiver with regard to the actual transplant itself. So I said I’d be willing to sign a medical waiver with regard to not taking the vaccine,” Lutali responded. “I’ve offered, ‘Could I be exempted for religious purposes?’ That only applies to employees. So there were a number of things that I put out there.”
Ingram asked if anything came of those suggestions, to which Lutali replied, “Nothing. This is the only way. It’s a one-size-fits-all.”
On Wednesday, UCHealth, which denied Lutali the transplant, released a statement via tweet thread, saying, “Physicians must consider the short- and long-term health risks for patients as they consider whether to recommend an organ transplant…Patients and living donors may be required to receive vaccinations including hepatitis B, MMR and others and to avoid alcohol, stop smoking, or prove they will be able to continue taking their anti-rejection medications long after their transplant surgery.”
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The statement goes on to explain that the COVID-19 vaccine was recently added to this list of requirements “because of the significant risk the virus poses to transplant recipients. Various studies show that between 20% and 30% of unvaccinated transplant recipients who contract COVID-19 have died, and these requirements are in place to ensure patients have the best chances of recovery and good outcomes.”
(1/4) There have recently been many questions about UCHealth’s requirements for patients who need an organ transplant. Here is some information about our decision.
Physicians must consider the short- and long-term health risks for patients as they consider whether to recommend
— uchealth (@uchealth) October 7, 2021
