UAE organ donor programme organises 230 transplants

Patients from 20 different countries have received organs from 59 donors

Surgeons perform a heart operation at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

A kidney transplant operation is performed at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

A nurse enters the intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A member of medical staff swabs a man during testing at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A woman waits to be tested by medical staff at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A member of medical staff works at an N95 face mask collection point at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

Robot-assisted surgery was performed on a man in Abu Dhabi after he was diagnosed with two kinds of cancer. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

A team of medical specialists at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi spent six weeks repairing complications following bariatric surgery on an Emirati patient. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Hospital staff prepare meals for the Covid-19 patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A medical technician performs an ultrasound at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National

An audiologist performs a comprehensive hearing test at The Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National

People wait to be tested for Covid-19 virus at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A view of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Nearly 60 people with 13 different nationalities have donated their organs in the UAE, according to figures from the Emirates' National Programme for Organ Transplantation.

The programme has organised 230 transplants for patients from 20 different countries, from 59 donors.

The figures were released as the organisers of the programme took a group of international specialists on a tour of a number of medical facilities in Abu Dhabi.

Delegates from Jordan, Spain and the US, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and India took part.

The delegation visited the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Seha Kidney Care and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Lives saved

The capabilities of the UAE's organ donation programme have improved in recent years, along with the number of donors willing to sign up to donate.

The UAE has exceeded the global average of donated organs from each donor after death, as the country has a rate of 3.9, compared with 3.5.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, recently thanked an Indian family who donated the organs of their 2-year-old son after his death.

Vivan Vijayan saved three lives when his organs were removed and given to three children in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Runners at the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon on November 26 were encouraged to register their willingness to donate organs on the Ministry of Health and Prevention's Hayat application.

Under the slogan “Together We Cultivate Hope", the organ donation programme hosted an area in the runners' village.

The campaign also aims to encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle to reduce the need for organ transplants, and to keep in good health so they can qualify to donate.

Operations such as transplants of the heart, lungs and liver are now carried out in UAE hospitals from post-mortem donors, and when possible from kin donors.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the only countries in the Gulf that have the facilities to provide organ transplants.

Organs and tissue that can be donated include the heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, nerve and heart valves.

Deceased organ donation has been permitted in the UAE since 2016, when a federal law was introduced allowing for the procedures.

A UAE government survey from 2018 showed that 68 per cent of respondents were willing to donate their organs after their death.

Organ donation campaign