DUBAI HEALTHCARE CITY UNVEILS ‘LIVE SAVER SEASON: BE A DONOR’ TO DRIVE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS

Monday, Aug 21, 2023

• Initiative launched to support nationwide Hayat Organ Donation Programme
• Campaign marked with emotional and informative event at DHCC including organ transplant patients, donor families and medical professionals, as well as a call to action for UAE public to register

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), the enabling healthcare and wellness destination, has launched the ‘Live Saver Season: Be a Donor’ initiative to raise organ donation awareness and support the efforts of the nationwide Hayat Organ Donation Programme by encouraging more residents to become registered donors. As part of the campaign, DHCC held a public awareness event in collaboration with Hayat Organ Donation Programme and the National Centre for Regulating Human Organs and Tissues Transplantation.

The campaign builds on DHCC’s significant milestone as the destination for Dubai’s first successful organ transplant surgery back in June 2016. Since then, the DHCC ecosystem continues its steadfast drive to advance organ transplant procedures.
DHCC’s informative session provided a platform for the families of previous organ donors and recipients to share their inspirational stories, adding emotion to the day and wider cause. Building on the objectives of educating communities about the importance of organ donation, the event also included presentations from Dr. Ali Al Obaidli, Chairman of UAE National Transplant Committee, Dr. Maria Gomez, Director of Organ Transplant at the National Center for Regulating Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues and Dr. Farhad Janahi, Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Heath Sciences and Consultant Urologist and Transplant Surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital.

Commenting on the event, Kawthar Kazim, Vice President Business Support, DHCA, said: “Organ donation is one of the most selfless acts that can give the gift of life to recipients. With this initiative, we want to build on our commitment to advance organ donation and transplantation in the UAE and enhance our healthcare ecosystem to support our partners specialising in this field. We are confident that our efforts will help reach a wider audience and unite communities across UAE to recognise how an act of compassion can help patients in need.”

The emirate’s proactive regulation of organ donation and transplantation laws has led to significant developments in the Hayat programme. According to the latest MoHAP data, a significant 111 organ transplants have been successfully completed since January 2023. Since 2017, over 460 transplants have been performed with a focus on enhancing the quality of life of all communities.

The UAE is home to eight health facilities licensed for conducting organ transplants, in which two of these facilities, Mediclinic City Hospital and Al Jalila Children's Hospital are a key part of the DHCC ecosystem.