New transplant law is a life-saver
abu dhabi — A new law regulating organ transplants in the UAE has given fresh hope to one Abu Dhabi resident — and it will prove to be a life-saver for many more here, health experts say.
Diagnosed with end-stage renal failure in 2013, Mohammed Salim was initially advised to undergo an organ transplant. But with the existing law stipulating the donor has to be a relative, Salim was unable to pay to fly his family in for the procedure. But the new law — which is expected to come into effect this month and covers non-relatives — means he may soon be able to get the lifesaving transplant. “This is good news. The law will definitely prove to be a boon for many patients like me who are surviving on dialysis.”
The law will definitely prove to be a boon for many patients like me who are surviving on dialysis. Mohammed Salim, A patient
abu dhabi — Doctors and residents have welcomed a soon-to-be implemented law allowing organ transplantation from both the living and the deceased in the UAE.
Medical experts said the law, which is expected to come into effect this month, would prove to be game-changer, particularly for kidney patients.
The UAE Organ Transplant Law decreed by the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will regulate transplantation of human organs and tissues, and potentially save lives of patients who are unable to depend on family donors.
Dr Ali Abdul Kareem Al Obaidli, group chief academic affairs officer at the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), told Khaleej Times that new law would prove to be a life-saver to many patients.
“Currently, many patients who do not have donors are losing their lives. With the new law, even people who do not have family members in the UAE will benefit,” said the doctor.
Currently, organ donations by living persons can only be made by relatives within the fourth degree.
Dr Al Obaidli said the new organ transplantation programme will take place in the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi and another hospital in Dubai.
According to him, the culture of donation in the UAE is strong as majority of Emiratis and expats are willing to donate, whether it is to a loved one or a stranger in need.
“The culture of donation is accepted by UAE nationals and expats. Some expats from the US or the UK for instance, already have the donor driving licences.”
Dr Al Obaidli pointed out that The National Survey on Organ Donation and Transplant, which was presented at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences Forum in April last year, revealed that 68 per cent of the public are ready to donate in the event they become brain-dead.
The survey findings also showed that as much as 2,000 kidney patients on dialysis are listed for the transplant.
Currently, an average of 40 transplantations take place at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi each year. However, Dr Al Obaidli said the numbers would rise once the law takes effect.
Dr Al Obaidli explained that the UAE’s organ transplantation process is not different from other leading countries, adding that a multi-disciplinary committee is in charge of approving organ transplants for patients undergoing dialysis. “The committee will consider all aspects including the health of the patient before giving the go-ahead for a transplant. The process in the emirate is a team effort to ensure the transplantation is successful; it is not just a doctor effort,” said Al Obaidli.
Once the new legislation takes effect, organs that can be transplanted include kidneys, heart, lungs, thymus, liver, intestine and pancreas. Human skin, bones, cornea, tendons, veins and heart valves are also included as part of the tissue transplantation.
Kidney and liver transplantations are currently the most common around the world. Dr Al Obaidli said transplantation programmes in the UAE are certainly increasing and will thus benefit patients across the nation.
In June last year, Dubai saw its first organ transplant, when a 29-year-old Emirati mother, whose two kidneys failed due to her diabetes, received a kidney.
The kidneys donated from the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation in Riyadh were sent to Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai, which falls under the organ transplant programme between the hospital and the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.