(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA: International healthcare experts from eleven countries gathered in Doha this week to share their expertise on organ donation and the types of challenges they encounter working in this field.
The aim of the meeting was to provide an opportunity for the experts to learn from each other and develop plans for future professional collaboration. The meeting was also used as a platform to discuss ways to improve the global rate of organ donation and the development of organ transplantation programs.
Healthcare officials from the United States, Spain, India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Croatia, the Philippines, Sudan, and Oman joined experts from Qatar for a series of high-level meetings and lectures under the umbrella of ‘Bridging Communities to Develop Organ Donation.'
Since the Qatar Organ Donor Registry was launched in 2012, around 300,000 donors, or 15 percent of the country's adult population, have registered as organ donors. This year, there have been 45 transplants, including 35 kidney transplants (23 from living donors, and 12 from deceased donors), nine liver transplants (four from living donors and five from deceased), and three stem cell transplants all from living donors. This is compared to a decade ago in 2008 when just two kidney transplants were performed.
The most recent data from the WHO Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT) shows that more than 130,000 solid organ transplants are performed worldwide each year, and although impressive, it is estimated that this number represents less than ten percent of the global need.
The Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, said that Qatar's organ donation program, with a unified national waiting list, has become a model for other countries to emulate.
'With fairness and equity at its heart, our program has been recognized internationally. Qatar's national strategy for organ donation and transplantation is not only world-leading in terms of the clinical and ethical standards it applies but it is also one that is appropriate to the healthcare needs of our growing and diverse population, said Dr. Al Kuwari.
'Like other countries, we face challenges in achieving self-sufficiency in organ donation. Self-sufficiency in organ donation can only be achieved through international cooperation and the support of countries seeking to develop and improve their own systems.
Professor Riadh Abdul Sattar Fadhil, Director of the Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba), said Qatar's success and unique experience could be replicated in other countries that share the same socio-cultural perspectives.
'Qatar is a diverse and multicultural country and the success of our program is a direct result of the high-level of support we have received from our leaders such as Her Excellency Dr. Al Kuwari. Our organ donation program has seen remarkable success in the past few years and our annual organ donation campaign has managed to bring about a large shift in public understanding and perspective of this important topic, said Professor Fadhil.
This week also saw a special ceremony to honor living donors as well as the families of deceased donors. Forty-four expats and Qataris were awarded the ‘Medal of Altruism' for their selfless acts. Companies who support the organ donation program were also acknowledged.
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