OPEN HEART SURGERY CONTROVERSY

GROOTE SCHUUR SURGERY

"The Economist" newspaper interview with Hamilton Naki reported in its obituary section, that Mr. Hamilton Naki was an assistant in the first human heart transplant in which he removed the heart from the donor, Denise Darvall. This account of the story came directly from the horses mouth, in Hamilton Naki's very own words.

Hamilton Naki the black laboratory assistant who assisted white cardiac
surgeon Christiaan Barnard in South Africa under apartheid.

But according to a controversial documentary entitled "Hidden Heart", Doctor Marius Barnard, brother to the world renown Dr Christiaan Barnard removed her heart. Dr Christiaan Bernard openly admitted in this docy, and I quote, “given the opportunity, Mr Naki would have been a better surgeon than me”. However, Dr Christiaan Barnard also goes to great lengths in this documentary to describe Mr Naki's skill and abilities as a surgeon even though they would never have been acknowledged under the apartheid system. But the most remarkable thing about this denial or deception, is that an honorary degree was conferred on Naki by the University of Cape Town. Thabo Mbeki, the then president of South Africa even paid tribute to Naki's achievements with a handshake.

Hamilton Naki at his capping.

Hamilton Naki comes from Ngcingane, a small village outside Centani in the Transkei interior. Initially he was employed as a gardener at Groote Schuur Hospital South Africa, where he later requested to take-up an available position to tend to the animals at the university laboratories. To Naki's surprise the animals in question was not sheep, cows, and goats as expected which he tendered as a boy but rather dogs, rats and guinea pigs.

Despite his lack of education, formal medical training, and official credentials his technical abilities were recognized. Hamilton  quickly learnt the techniques of operations, anesthesia and post-operative care and as a consequence obtained permission to continue research in the laboratory. However, being black, he would never have become a surgeon during the Apartheid era since it was illegal for a black man to touch a white patient. But in the laboratories he performed numerous heart transplants on animals assisted by specific members of the elite first heart transplant team. Naki proved his competency daily, hence Christiaan's remark above. But under the apartheid system, no black was allowed to hols a scalpel in his hand nor claim to be a physician or for that matter a surgeon without the necessary qualifications / credentials.

This is but one of the heinous injustices dished out by the apartheid system. Karren Barnard daughter of Dr Christiaan Barnard is up in arms about the fact that neither her dad nor Naki was still alive to confirm or deny the truth of this apparent lie and fraud committed under the banner of apartheid. The controversy regarding this issue continues. Once again one of the proudest moments in South African history may have been one of its most shameful and a source of controversy 365 days per year!

For the full story click HERE!

Many would agree that the Pigs who engineered the apartheid system dealt non-whites an evil hand. To read about apartheid go HERE!