500 lives saved by organ donation in UAE

Hayat programme has received 11,000 registrations so far, committee chief says

Deceased donors aged from one week to 77 years have saved 500 lives through cadaveric organ donation in the UAE, officials announced yesterday at Arab Health 2023. The UAE first enacted its deceased donor transplantation law in 2017. Since then, around 500 people’s lives have been saved through organ transplants, said Dr Ali Al Obaidli, head of the National Transplantation and Organ Donation Committee. He said the cumulative figure included lives saved through 204 organ transplants from 55 donors in 2022. “The youngest donor was one-week-old and the oldest donor was 77-years-old,” he said.

Campaigns to increase organ donation

Officials said efforts have been made to increase awareness about organ donation and through ‘Hayat’, the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation. “Hayat” is a national system to enhance efforts for the donation and transplantation of human organs and tissues.

Campaigns have been launched to increase familiarity with the organ donation registry app, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention’s ‘Hayat’ app.

A campaign that started to register potential donors in the Hayat programme has received 11,000 registrations so far, Dr Al Obaidli said.

“This number is growing and we know that so many people of different nationalities living in the UAE are willing to donate their organs,” he added

According to a survey, 68 per cent of the UAE residents are supportive of organ transplant.

Dr Rashed Obaid Al Suwaidi, executive director of Healthcare Workforce Planning

Sector at the Department of Health (DoH) in Abu Dhabi, said DoH has entered into a partnership with

Pure Health for enhancing the operations for organ donations in the emirate.

Dr Marwan Al Kaabi, chief critical resources officer at Pure Health, said the company would help streamline the operational and logistical aspects of organ donations and also work with patients’ families and community organisations to raise more awareness about and increase participation in organ donation.

Ahmad Ali Al Dashti, assistant undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the UAE health authorities are committed to raising public awareness of organ donation as a means of providing sustainable solutions for patients with health conditions, particularly chronic kidney disease, heart disease, pulmonary failure, and liver failure. Al Dashti said that organ transplantation can help such patients recover completely.

He said the UAE organ donation and transplantation programme increased 41 per cent in 2022 as against 2021.

“This outstanding achievement is thanks to the organ donation system structure established across UAE,” he added.

According to experts, one organ donor can save the lives of eight individuals in urgent need of organs.

Public and organisations in the UAE have been invited to support saving lives by organ donation. They can visit MOHAP HAYAT booth at Arab Health 2023, register as an organ donor and save many lives.