DOHA: Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) organised awareness lectures on organ donation for the Indian community.
Lectures were delivered by Dr Bahaa Uddin Al Haj from Hiba, and Davis Chiramel, a Catholic Church priest and Founder of Kidney Federation of India.
Dr Al Haj highlighted Hiba’s activities and contribution to increasing organ donations in Qatar. He said relatives of patients suffering from kidney failure could donate their kidneys to save them.
Donated organs of a brain dead person are however normally allocated to patients on the organ donation wait list.
“In pursuance of the principles of equality and justice laid down in Doha Donation Accord and Istanbul Declaration which states that there should be no racial or religious discrimination in organ transplants, Hiba is keen to raise awareness of organ donation in various communities in Qatar.
“This is to ensure that needy patients are treated equally irrespective of their race, religion or culture,” said Dr Riyadh Abdul Sattar, Director, Hiba.
He said Hiba’s programmes have included Ramadan awareness campaigns, activities launched in collaboration with some mosques and participation in National Day celebrations of various communities.
He said Hiba has paid visits to the Indian Church in Doha to speak directly to Indians through their clerics in their native language to disseminate information about organ donation.
“We appreciate the presence of Priest Chiramel who has previously donated a kidney to a patient who was not a relative,” Dr Sattar added.
After the lectures, more than 70 Indians gave consent to donate organs after death by registering as donors.
On the second day of the event, Priest Chiramel visited Hiba where he was briefed on services and the mission of the centre.
An agreement between Hiba and the Indian community was made for further cooperation on organ donation awareness programmes. The Peninsula
