Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Qatar Centre for Organ Transplantation honoured sixty organ and tissue donors for their selfless act of organ donation which was held over three days from 8 to 10 November.
During the annual honouring ceremony, which was attended by Her Excellency Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, the Medal of Altruism was presented to 36 living kidney donors, 15 stem cell donors, and the families of nine deceased donors.
Dr Al Kuwari said:
Organ donation saves lives and the success of Qatar’s organ donation and transplantation programmes which is something we can be extremely proud of. We have a single, unified waiting list and have led the way in terms of setting a high standard of care and support for donors and their families. Qatar’s national strategy for organ donation and transplantation is not only world-leading in terms of the clinical and ethical standards it applies, but it is also one that is appropriate to the healthcare needs of our growing and diverse population.’
Qatar Centre for Organ Transplantation Director Dr Yousuf Al Maslamani said the success of HMC organ transplant programme has led to a decrease in the number of patients who are travelling abroad for commercial transplantation by around 85%.
The annual honouring ceremony coincided with the third Annual Meeting of the Doha International Academy for Organ Donation and the second gathering of the ROOTS Alliance (Reaching Out for Organ Transplant Self Sufficiency). As part of these events, representatives from India, Pakistan, The Philippines, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, and Ethiopia joined delegates from Qatar, Australia, Spain, Croatia, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom for a series of high-level meetings and lectures.
The events centred on advancing plans and strategies to educate staff and raise public awareness about organ trafficking. Discussions also focused on supporting each alliance country to establish its own ethical organ donation and transplantation programs. For more information about organ donation in Qatar, visit organdonation.hamad.qa.en.