DOHA: The drive by the Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Organ Donation Centre to encourage residents to register as donors is now held at several places including four shopping malls.
The campaign will continue for 10 days after the month of Ramadan and HMC staff will be deployed between 7pm and 11pm to create awareness about organ donation and help visitors to register as potential organ donors.
Information stands promoting organ donor registration include City Center (near Carrefour), Laguna Mall (near 51 East), Landmark (near Haagen-Dazs) and Hyatt Plaza.
Residents are also encouraged to donate organs for their sick relatives on waiting list for organ transplant.
Organs and tissues that can be donated include - heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, and heart valves.
In Qatar the major requirement has been for kidney transplants, mainly due to the increasing incidence of diabetes patients who develop kidney failure and are on dialyses.
HMC has around 500 patients receiving dialyses treatment. Of these, around 120 patients have been recognised as fit for being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list and are waiting for suitable organs to be available.
Select organs, such as kidney and partial liver donations from live donors are one alternative. Usually a family member will opt to donate these organs to save the life of their loved one.
According to officials around 4,000 organ donors have registered with the centre, although there is no national registry of organ donors in Qatar, plans are underway to establish this soon.
Earlier, the Organ Donation Centre encouraged people to register as potential organ donors in the holy month of Ramadan, as the need for kidney transplant increases on a yearly basis.
“Our aim is to create awareness about organ donation and our services at HMC, which is of highest standards in order to deter patients from travelling abroad for organ transplantation,” said the Director of Organ Donation Centre, Dr Riad Fadhil.
He urged the public to join the donor registry and help save lives.
“We want members of the community in Qatar to participate in this organ donation campaign by donating kidneys and part of their livers to their relatives on the waiting lists for kidney or liver failure to save them the agony of being on the lists and waiting endlessly,” he said.
“If community members participate in this organ donation drive, we are sure that their participation will help the HMC in its target to reach organ self-sufficiency in Qatar.” During the campaign, HMC staff will also highlight the Doha Donation Accord.
Through the accord organ donors and their families get benefits, including an honour by the highest authorities in Qatar, living donors get medical insurance for life, and compensation for any health problems when they occur.
There are two types of organ donors — deceased and alive.
Living donors can provide a kidney or a portion of the liver, lung or intestine, and in some instances, tissues.
Six types of organs could be used from deceased donors — kidney, pancreas, liver, lungs, heart, and intestines.
Tissues such as bones, skin, heart valves and veins and corneas can also be taken from the deceased.
The Ramadan campaign to encourage organ donors began last year, and attracted over 1,000 people of different nationalities to register as donors.
Further even if someone has a donor card, the family will be consulted before a donation can take place.
A mobile blood donation van is also available and will be available at different locations during Ramadan.
Also a booth is open at HMC’s Blood Donor Center near the Hamad General Hospital, opposite the main car park.
The Peninsula
