HMC appeals for people to register as organ donors

The Hamad Medical Corporation’s Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) has urged people to register to be organ donors. HMC provides organ donation and transplant programmes in kidney and liver transplantation.For many people a transplant can mean the gift of life and making the decision to register as a donor is a personal choice. For Khalid, a resident of Qatar and a recent addition to the Organ Donor Registry, seeing one of his friends in need of a transplant was the driving force behind him registering as an organ donor. Khalid had been aware of organ donation since his university days but never imagined someone close to him would be in need of a transplant. When he learnt that his friend Ali needed an urgent liver transplant or risked losing his life, Khalid started looking seriously into organ donation and transplantation in Qatar. Ali’s life was saved when a liver was available from a registered donor who has passed away in Qatar. Khalid also remembered that two more patients’ lives were saved through kidney transplants from the same donor. This motivated Khalid to visit the Qatar Organ Donation Centre to sign the registration form.Qatar Organ Donation Centre director Dr Riadh Fadhil said: “We need more people like Khalid to realise that organ donation is a humanitarian act and one that is important in making Qatar a self sufficient nation meaning having enough organs available for those who need them. Organ donation is a community duty and we have to contribute to the welfare of the society to prevent the death of patients on the waiting list.”The Doha Donation Accord, which outlines how donors and recipients should be treated in Qatar, is built upon the model of equality and fairness and ensures that organs are distributed equitably among all nationalities, Fadhil said.“Therefore, we would like all people in Qatar to help us raise awareness about organ donation and to understand the importance of discussing these decisions with their families before consenting.”