Organ transplants will soon become reality in UAE
ABU DHABI -— Patients will no longer need to travel abroad for organ transplant, once the transplantation units become available across UAE hospitals, medical experts said. During an organ transplantation discussion on Monday, Dr Yassin Ibrahim M. El-Shahat, consultant ,nephrology and chief medical officer at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said that world renowned organ transplant surgeons have been studying the hospital, before giving it the green light to open its first organ transplant unit. “The organ transplant doctors visiting is to start the preparation for the transplant unit in Burjeel Hospital and VPS Group.” In September 2016, a law allowing organ transplantation from the living and the deceased, was passed by the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The organ transplant law,
Patients will not be needing to travel abroad for treatment. Travelling abroad for surgeries causes strain on the patients, their families.” Dr Yassin El-Shahat, CMO, Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi
which took effect in March this year after publishing in the official gazette, is an immense sigh of relief for the thousands of patients who are eagerly waiting for an organ donation. “We are happy to declare the start of this unit, we will announce when it is ready,” said Dr Sandeep Attawar, chairman of cardiac surgery at Gleneagles and his colleagues, who examined the infrastructures of the hospitals and found it ready to start the transplantation. Dr El-Shahat, said multiple centres of organ transplant are needed. “What we have right now is the kidney transplantation in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and it also began in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, as well as a case seen in Dubai.” “But after the new law, we should start seeing all the centres that are capable of opening organ transplant units provide this service.” He said kidney, liver, bone-marrow and heart organs will be the top priority to when it comes to organ transplantations. “Patients will not be needing to travel abroad for treatment. Travelling aboard for organ surgeries causes strain on the patients and their families.” Clyde H. Eder, chief operations officer of VPS Healthcare, highlighted that opening the transplantation units is a major step in the health care and will see an immense positive reaction from patients.