Chairman of Al Faisal Holding and Aamal Company, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim bin Faisal Al Thani cutting the ribbon to open the Organ donation awareness campaign at City Center. With him are the Director of the Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation and Medical Director at Hamad General Hospital, Dr Yousef Al Maslamani, (third left), Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Hamad Medical Corporation, Mohammed Mubarak Al Naimi, (right), the head of the organ transplant programme at HMC, Dr Riyadh Abul Sattar Fadhil, (second right) and other officials. Kammutty VP
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation at the Hamad General Hospital has received an increased number of referrals about brain death patients from intensive care units, although the number of organ donors still remains very low, according to a senior official.
“Last year there were around 75 brain dead people and families of only three to four agreed for organ donation. And this year, 65 people were reported brain dead at the intensive care units,” said Dr Yousef Al Maslamani, Director of Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation and Medical Director at Hamad General Hospital.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a Ramadan Organ Donation Awareness Campaign at the City Center.
“Because of the awareness created we are getting more referrals from the intensive care units about brain dead patients,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
“We talk to the families of these patients but they usually end up by saying no; it’s still a social stigma. We know that donation is important; everyone talk about but they don’t do it,” he added.
However, if someone has registered as an organ donor and if that person is declared brain dead, it becomes easier for experts to convince the family on organ donation.
“Either someone has signed or not we will follow the same procedure. But if the person has registered, it becomes easier, because it’s like a will,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
Brain death is the permanent end of all brain activity — including involuntary activity necessary to sustain life.
Patients classified as brain dead can have their organs surgically removed for donation. Even after brain death, the heart may continue to work at a slow pace, but there will be no respiratory effort.
A study has been conducted by the Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation about brain death donors in hospitals and the attitude of relatives towards donation. It has found that culture is the reason behind decision-making, said Dr Al Maslamani.
The awareness campaign on organ donation at the City Center is part of activities to educate people on the importance of the issue.
“This is part of a continuous campaign to create awareness among people. This is the month of giving and a part of giving is to sign forms for donation of organs,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
Around 4,000 people, including Qataris and expatriates, have signed as organ donors since 2001 with a high demand for kidneys.
People are also encouraged to become living donors for kidney and part of liver in cases when their relatives are in need.
“People are reluctant to donate their organs to relatives, probably they fear of the operation, and there are other options like going to poor countries and buying organs,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
The organ donation awareness campaign, together with a campaign to encourage blood donors, will continue at different shopping malls throughout Ramadan.
“When you sign, you encourage others to sign, then there will be a large pool of people who are donors. Now because nobody signs, we have only a very few people. So patients are very large in numbers and donors are small,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
He agreed that some people have the fear of death when they speak of organ donation and this phobia prevents them from becoming donors.
“Everyone will die but they don’t want to talk about it. We need to do studies to find the real reasons,” Dr Al Maslamani added.
The Peninsula
