By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter

More than 16,000 residents made pledges of organ “donation by will after death” during a drive organised by the Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) throughout last Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, an official said yesterday.
The figure is seven times more than the number of consents received during a similar campaign in 2012 when only 2,500 people signed to donate their organs, Hiba director Dr Riadh Fadhil said.
There are now more than 20,000 registered organ donors in the country due to intensive campaigns being carried out by the centre.
During the last campaign, held at 24 different locations including 14 stationary and 10 mobile, residents were encouraged to make a “donation by will after death” with two witnesses seeing their information being documented, Fadhil said at a press conference.
The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, answer the public’s questions, change misconceptions about organ donation and encourage people to register.
There is a national Organ Donor Registry, which is being managed by the Qatar Organ Donation Centre and it is a record of all nationals and expatriates who registered their names to be organ donors after death.
Around 300 staff members convinced some 16,606 residents comprising some 88 nationalities including Qataris, Nepalis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Filipinos as well as others from the GCC and the region, to register.
A majority of those who registered were males as during the campaign this year; only 1,598 females registered and more than 7,000 were aged between 28-37 years.
Meanwhile, one of the women who registered in 2012 has donated organs to five people comprising a Qatari, Bangladeshi, Saudi, an Indian and an Arab expatriate.
“One of our female donors died earlier on and she donated organs such as lung, heart, kidneys and liver to five different people and they are all doing well after the transplants, which were carried out here and in Saudi Arabia,” Fadhil said.
According to him, the kidney and liver transplantation were done in Qatar while the heart and lung transplants were carried out in Saudi Arabia.
There are hundreds of people who suffer from kidney failure and are on dialysis while up to 70 people are on the waiting list for kidney transplant and around 14 for liver transplant.
Qatar started its kidney transplant programme in 1986 while the liver transplant programme started last year with four livers from deceased donors transplanted successfully.
“We are yet to start a transplant programme for heart and lung here in Qatar because there is no reason to do so yet as there are no much cases to warrant such a service. But we are doing a feasibility study and the cost effectiveness of starting the programme in Qatar,” the official said.
He said there were plans to start a pancreas transplant programme later this year. “We are now working to introduce pancreas transplant here before the end of this year as we are presently preparing the staff and recruiting surgeons who can do the surgery.”
Dr Fadhil said that the Qatar Centre for Organ Transplantation had a very good record as it gave safe and high quality service, “which is benchmarked against international standards.”
The centre is accredited by the US-based United Network for Organ Sharing.
“All procedures related to organ donation and transplantation in Qatar are free of charge for both Qataris and expatriates,” he said, adding that up to 20% of those who go abroad for organ transplant come back with complications.
“Of the 20% from the number of those who travel abroad for organ transplant, 10% eventually die and the other 10% go back to dialysis. So, we are urging residents to stay back here and avail themselves of the high quality service here,” he said.
Dr Fadhil said the activity in Ramadan was just one initiative in a series of community-focused activities which will help in increasing the number of registered donors.
He said that the organ centre was open throughout the year in the Fahad Bin Jassim Kidney Centre for the public to register and information can be found at http://organdonation.hamad.org
“We will continue to strive towards achieving HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser’s vision of a self-sufficient organ donation and transplantation system, where there are enough organs for all those who need them. It is everyone’s duty, as members of this community that provides transplant services to all, to do their part by registering to give the gift of life,” he added.