Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation officials during the event held on Monday. Pic by Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The Doha International Center for Strategy and Leadership in Transplantation was launched on Monday as part of Qatar’s commitment to promoting ethical organ donation and transplantation worldwide.
The centre is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and key international institutes in transplantation, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), to address the global challenges facing the field of organ donation and transplantation. The announcement was made during an event held to honour 139 organ donors and recipients and pay tribute to 18 deceased donors.
“Qatar’s organ donation and transplantation programmes have changed the lives of thousands since they were established. We are proud that our programmes are considered models to be emulated. Today we are adding another milestone to our programmes and we are establishing the Doha International Center for Strategy and Leadership in Transplantation. Through this body, we will be supporting the development of transplant programmes globally—sharing our knowledge and our experience in Qatar with other countries,” said HMC’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari.
“The centre is guided by our own principles of equity and fairness as well as an eminent international advisory board of experts. At Hamad Medical Corporation, the commitment and expertise of our teams have enabled the development of our transplant programmes. Further enabling this has been our commitment to driving innovation and harnessing the latest techniques,” he added.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Affairs and Director of Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani highlighted that the Doha International Center for Strategy and Leadership in Transplantation builds upon the successful achievements of the Doha Donation Accord.
The Accord is a remarkable initiative driven by innovation, ethical values, and strong governmental support. “Qatar is recognised as a regional leader in both organ donation and transplantation. Respect for human rights, autonomy, and equity made Qatar a model of ethical and best clinical practice that is much-admired by the international transplant community,” said Dr. Al Maslamani.
“We have been able to build this on the sustained success of the Doha Donation Accord that was achieved through innovative thinking, ethical values, widespread community acceptance, and robust governmental support. Now it is our turn to help other countries through the Doha International Center for Strategy and Leadership in Transplantation,” he added.
The Medal of Altruism was presented to living donors and the families of deceased donors during the event. Qatar’s Organ Transplant Programme offers kidney, liver, and lung transplant surgeries. Heart transplant programme is intended to begin next year, along with an organ sharing project with GCC countries. The Qatar donor registry now includes nearly 600,000 registrants, representing 28 percent of the adult population.
“Since its establishment in 2012, it has become the fastest-growing, legally binding donor registry in the world. This year, we are on track to achieve more than seven disease organ donations per million population,” said Director of the Qatar Organ Donation Center and Transplantation Society Councillor for the Middle East, West, and Central Asia, Dr. Riadh Fadhil.
“Qatar now ranks eighth in the WHO’s 2023 transplant activity chart. In kidney living donation, we started with only two kidneys in 2009, but now we are reaching 70 to 80 per year.
“The liver transplant program has also seen significant growth, with a 50 percent increase this year. Notably, no patients have had to go abroad for liver transplantation, which is a great outcome. Additionally, the waiting list has decreased by 30 percent,” he added.
