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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
Doha
The number of patients going abroad for organ transplant from Qatar has dropped significantly as awareness grows about the availability of advanced services in the country, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has said.
Speaking to media persons, Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital and Director of the Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation Dr Yousuf al Maslamani advised people not to travel abroad for organ transplant while pointing out that the number of people travelling abroad for transplant surgery has dropped significantly.
"Going to another country to get organs is unethical, it's illegal in all countries. It's not healthy either because we don't know what illness the donor has. A study on patients who have undergone transplants elsewhere has found that all of them have developed complications," he said.
He said 18 patients are in the waiting list for liver transplant and 84 for kidney transplants.
"We conduct a survey and 50 percent of respondents thought that we give organs to Qataris first. When an organ is available, it goes to the person on top of the list. The liver transplant waiting list does not contain any Qatari. So, all the patients are non-Qataris," he said.
"This year, we have conducted 16 kidney and four liver transplant surgeries. We are hoping to cross 20 kidney transplants this year," he added.
Dr Maslamani said that among kidney donors, nine were living donors from family members while seven were deceased donors.
He said there are three liver donations from deceased donors and one from a living donor.
"Nowadays, people are more convinced to become living donors," he said.
Dr Maslamani, who was recently elected vice-president of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation (MESOT) for a two-year term until 2020, said the number of heart transplants is low and HMC hasn't started a programme for it as yet.
He added that they are still negotiating for lung transplant.
"This is because we have the disease called 'sarcoidosis', not very common but I think there were 20 Qatari patients. We have started negotiations with the lung surgeons and physicians who specialise in pulmonology. We need to study to see how many patients and what are their age and blood groups. We need to focus on many things and to ensure that the surgeon is trained to do a lung transplant. Then, we have to look for the logistics needed," he said.
He added that, nowadays, people have knowledge about organ donation.
"When they want to donate, half of them will donate on their own while others will ask their family and friends. But they are willing to do it," Dr Maslamani said.
He added that the family is sometimes resistant in allowing for organ donation, especially the older people who have less knowledge about it.
"Usually, one or two members of the family approve and others refuse. So, there is a conflict. In such a situation, we don't register such individuals as donors. We don't want the family to have any conflict at the time of someone's death," Dr Maslamani added.
