Events

DHA to form committee to regulate organ transplantation

The Dubai Health Authority, DHA, is in the process of forming a local committee to regulate the transport and transplantation of organs and tissues in Dubai. The committee will be responsible for standardising and regulating the process of organ transplantation in accordance with the regulations and provisions stipulated in Federal Law No. 05 of 2016 on regulating the transfer and transplantation of organs and tissues.

DHA hosted a workshop to share experiences and learn about the best practices and latest developments in organ transplantation. The workshop was held with the participation of the National Committee for Organ Transplantation, chaired by Dr Ali Abdulkarim Al Obeidli and attended by representatives of the Donation and Transplantation Institute in Barcelona – Spain, headed by Professor Francesco Procaccio.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector at the DHA praised the efforts of all relevant health authorities that working on preparing a comprehensive national programme for organ donation and transplantation. He said that producing the comprehensive programme will relieve the pain of patients and reduce the burden on the health sector, especially when it comes to chronic cases that will be treated according to legislation and standards based on international practices.

More than 70 medical and technical teams specialising in intensive and emergency care from both public and private sector hospitals in Dubai attended the scientific workshop to exchange expertise and experiences in order to learn about the latest developments in organ transplantation programmes, especially in Spain.

Dr Al Obaidli said the workshop included an overview of the national organ transplantation programme in the UAE. Other topics discussed included: the objectives of organising the procedures and organ transplants, international best practices and standard procedures for organ donation and the activation of the brain death protocol in the UAE.

The workshop also reviewed the successes of the national programme, including activation of the brain death protocol. Since the launch of the national programme, lives of 30 patients with organ failure were saved as they received organ donations from nine brain dead donors. The organs included the cultivation of the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and kidneys thus, enabling those who wish to donate to exercise their right to save the lives of others. It was highlighted that the success of organ transplantation will provide one of the most important solutions to a number of core diseases, such as kidney failure and liver failure, reflecting positively on the UAE’s global position in the medical field in the future. It will also enable the UAE to become an example to be followed in the application of best international practices and the latest healthcare standards.