Gifting a life

@samuelkuttyvp -

Once scarce, organ donation in Oman is picking up pace incredibly well, that too, in accordance with the guidelines including religious, legal, and medical ethics and practices and increasing awareness.

The Ministry of Health has made great strides in developing and regulating organ transplants and transfers by providing and developing more services and qualifying national medical cadres capable of providing advanced services. The ministry works on reviewing and completing all laws, legislation and standards Ethical that ensures the rights and safety of donors and transplant patients.

The number of patients who suffer from chronic failure in the functions of vital organs is increasing, whether locally or globally, and there are many causes, including modern diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity in adults, including genetic causes and congenital malformations.

According to Ministry of Health statistics, the total number of organ transplants carried out within the national organ transplantation programme is 323, of which 310 were kidney transplants and 13 liver transplants.

Since October 2021, as many as 15 organ transplants have been performed including seven kidney transplants, eight liver transplants, and kidney transplants for two children from a brain-dead donor.

The Royal Hospital conducted four organ transplants in 2022, two for children and two for adults.

The establishment of Oman Centre for Organ Transplantation points to the care of the government of Oman led by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik with regard to developing a national programme for the growth of this branch of medicine.

The programme aims at educating the society about the importance of organ donation, whether during life or after death, clinical and ethical evidence and protocols and the creation of a database that includes the registration of all patients in need of organ transplantation and their placement on a unified national waiting list.

According to the ministry, there are more than 2,260 patients on dialysis in Oman, who often visit dialysis centres in the morning and then leave for work.

Citizens and residents can donate organs through the ‘Shifaa’ application of the Ministry of Health.

“We see the increasing societal awareness of organ donation through people’s demand for registration in the Shifaa application for organ donation after death, which is a positive matter and work is currently under way on Data analysis of applicants for donation,” said Dr Ahmed bin Saeed al Busaidy, supervisor of the National Program for Organ Transplantation.

Organ donation process is legally regulated through the regulations for the transfer and transplantation of human organs and tissues issued by Ministerial Resolution No. 179/2018 and includes the conditions for donating human organs during life as well as after death.