(MENAFN- Gulf Times) More than 30,000 Qatar residents have signed up to become organ donors since the first day of Ramadan this year, bringing the total number of donors in the country to more than 75,000.
"The number is a significant improvement on last year's campaign, demonstrating a greater understanding and acceptance of organ donation throughout the community and high level support for the programme," said Dr Abdulla al-Ansari, deputy chief of Medical, Academic and Research Affairs for Surgical Services at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
During Ramadan, staff from the Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) set up booths in shopping malls and other prominent locations around the country to educate members of the public on organ donation in general and asking them to consider registering as a donor.
Dr al-Ansari thanked the staff of Hiba and all participants from different departments that have participated in the campaign, in addition to the 14 shopping malls and their administrations for their support in providing Hiba's teams with prominent spaces to spread the message.
Hiba director, Dr. Riaydh Fadhil said his team and HMC had worked tirelessly to deliver the message of the advantages of organ donation to the wider community.
"The growth of our donor registry is unprecedented as compared to the region and internationally," he said. "We started this campaign in 2012 and within three years it reached 75,000 which is equivalent to 7% of adult population in Qatar. We are confident now that by the end of the year, we will reach the donor registry of 100,000."
The organ donor public education campaign in shopping malls will continue until the end of the year. "We urge the public to approach the stands and booths of organ donation to get more information on this noble act and register as a donor," Dr. Fadhil urged.
The Organ Donation Registry has grown tremendously, with the number of donors reaching 45,000 from 108 nationalities including Qataris, before the Ramadan campaign was launched.The Organ Donation and Transplantation team had successfully completed seven life-saving surgeries, comprising of three liver and four kidney transplantations, in February this year. The centre will also conduct pancreas transplantation in the near future.
An organ transplant can be a life-saving procedure. It can also significantly improve quality of life for someone with chronic organ failure.These life-saving organs come from deceased donors, who have pledged to give their organs to someone in need. A deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives. It is also possible to donate a kidney or part of the liver while one is alive.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.