Life is a gift-of-God and gift-giving is the best way to show our gratitude back. Gifts can be anything, however, the value of it will be high when it is life-saving. Donating organs is such a valuable gift and it can spread ray-of-hope, pleasure, support and strength to millions of shattered lives, around the globe, who crave for this elegant gift to come back to enjoy the colours of life.
It is estimated that, thousands die every year while waiting for a matching organ to undergo transplant. Lack of enough donors is the key reason for this as not many people are coming forward to donate organs.
Awareness plays a key role here as its absence thwarts people from undertaking this novel initiative. On the other hand, the list of people who are waiting for organs is growing drastically and it underlines significance to have more awareness campaigns.
Qatar’s initiatives, under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in promoting organ donation are praiseworthy and the ‘Doha Model of Organ Donation’ has already gained global attention in a limited span.
The Qatar Organ Donation Center and Qatar Organ Transplant Center have become internationally recognised destinations for those seeking organ transplant or donation from inside or outside Qatar. The role played by the Hamad Medical Corporation also deserves huge applause.
As per recent statistics, there are over 345,000 people in Qatar’s organ donor registry, which is more than 12 percent of Qatar’s total population and it is hoped that this number will increase to 400,000 by the end of the year. This figure alone is enough to understand Qatar’s commitment in this regard.
The number of patients who travel abroad for organ transplants has reduced drastically in recent years with zero post-transplant complications. In 2018, a total of 44 transplant procedures (comprising 36 kidney transplants and eight liver transplants) were conducted in Qatar. The country has achieved over 80 percent self-sufficiency as far as organs needed for transplant procedures.
Statistics reveal that 10 years ago, 2009 in particular, 95 percent of patients from Qatar traveled abroad in search of organ transplants, many of whom returned home with transplanted organs of unknown sources and suffering various types of post-operative complications. The situation is not so now, as Qatar has advanced a lot in organ donation.
Qatar’s progress in organ donation is not an overnight development but the result of meticulous researches, screening, investigation and follow-up by a team of committed and dedicated healthcare professionals for years.
Qatar has miles to go ahead. There will be a day in imminent future the nation attains 100 percent self-sufficiency in organ donation and the world will stand in admiration of its progresses.
