UAE doctors encourage public to join organ donor registry

With 1,100 people currently on dialysis in the UAE, doctors want to promote a culture of donating organs among the public

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A workshop to encourage people to join the UAE’s organ donor registry will be held in Abu Dhabi this week.

Under the slogan “Donate for Life” the two-hour workshop will clarify procedures for organ donations in the country and show the profound impact it has on the lives of thousands of people suffering from organ failure.

Some 22 people have had their lives prolonged with organs from six deceased donors since the organ transplant law was introduced in 2016. They donated 12 kidneys, three livers, four lungs, two hearts and a pancreas.

But with 1,100 people currently on dialysis every year, doctors want to promote a culture of donating organs among the public.

“There are many people with organ failure in this country so our job is to promote transplantation and let people know that there are options available," said Dr Mohammed Al Seiari, consultant physician and a nephrologist at SKMC.

The deceased donor list is open to both Emiratis and residents. Procedures for registration are yet being determined.

Currently, hospital staff visit emergency units and approach families of eligible donors.

In February, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced plans to list organ donor status on Emirates IDs cards under the new National Programme for Organ Transplantation.

No details regarding when the option will be available were revealed, but the Ministry said it wanted to “get the conversation started with Friday sermons on the importance of organ donations and it being incorporated in school curriculums”.

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“What we want first is to get the dialogue started between family and friends,” said Dr Ali Al Obaidly, consultant transplant nephrologist and group chief academic affairs officer at Abu Dhabi Health Services.

An organ transplant registry will be based in Dubai under the Ministry of Health and Prevention.