2,150 lives transformed: UAE organ transplants give patients a new lease on life

ABU DHABI: More than 2,150 patients have benefited from organ transplants in the UAE since the launch of the national “Hayat” organ and tissue donation programme in 2017, through June 2026.

The milestone was highlighted by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi on World Organ Donation Day, underscoring how donation can save lives and give patients a new chance at better health and quality of life.

Since the launch of "Hayat", Abu Dhabi has further strengthened its position as a global leader in organ transplantation, with an advanced healthcare ecosystem that enabled the emirate to perform complex procedures that are among the first of their kind in the UAE and the region, while maintaining transplant success rates that meet leading international standards.

These achievements are reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a global destination for specialised healthcare and medical excellence.

In 2025 alone, 631 organ transplant procedures were performed across the emirate, compared with 290 in 2024 — an increase of approximately 118 percent.

Organ transplantation ecosystem

The achievement reflects Abu Dhabi’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem, which brings together advanced infrastructure, healthcare facilities equipped with cutting-edge technologies, world-class medical expertise, pioneering innovation and international collaboration.

Together, these capabilities provide patients with the highest standards of specialised transplant care.

Dr Rashed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, said: “Behind every organ transplant is a person waiting for a new chance at life, a family holding on to hope, and an organ donor whose extraordinary generosity has given others an opportunity for life and a healthier future.

“We remain committed to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem by providing the highest levels of care, harnessing the latest technologies and attracting leading global expertise to serve our community and improve patients’ quality of life.”

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

At the heart of Abu Dhabi’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem is the Multi-Organ Transplant Centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, accredited by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s first multi-organ transplant centre.

The centre continues to operate the UAE’s only heart and lung transplant programme, in addition to providing a specialised intensive care unit dedicated to transplant patients, further strengthening its pivotal role in advancing transplant medicine in the country.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has also become one of only five centres worldwide — and the first in the UAE — to successfully perform a robotic lung transplant, in addition to performing the country’s first combined heart-and-double-lung transplant.

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, part of SEHA, as well as Burjeel Medical City and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, also contribute specialised expertise to Abu Dhabi’s integrated transplantation ecosystem, expanding the emirate’s capacity to provide advanced and specialised care in this field.

Global partnerships driving transplant excellence

As part of its continued efforts to advance the emirate’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has established strategic partnerships over the years with leading international institutions to strengthen clinical excellence and exchange global best practices.

These partnerships include collaboration with Spain’s Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI) to enhance deceased organ donation programmes and advance liver transplantation, as well as collaboration with leading transplant programmes in the United States and a partnership with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to further develop kidney transplantation standards.

These international collaborations have helped drive a range of pioneering initiatives designed to expand patients’ access to services and treatment pathways, including tissue donation and donation after circulatory death (DCD).

Alongside capacity building, DoH – Abu Dhabi has also strengthened organ-exchange programmes with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. To date, the three countries have exchanged more than 550 organs, helping save the lives of more patients with complex medical conditions.

Unified national system

The UAE’s National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Hayat, launched by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, represents an integrated national system designed to advance organ and human tissue donation and transplantation in line with the highest international standards.

The programme aims to regulate donation and transplantation procedures, provide comprehensive care for patients, and improve the health, safety and quality of life of members of the community.

On World Organ Donation Day, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi expressed its appreciation and gratitude to the families of organ donors, whose generosity represents a lasting legacy of hope, as well as to hospitals and healthcare teams involved in organ donation and transplantation for their expertise and contribution to these efforts.

The department also commended the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Hayat, and its partners for their continued efforts to foster a culture of giving and excellence in organ donation and transplantation across the UAE.

Those wishing to register as organ donors and contribute to this life-saving mission can visit the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s organ donation registration page.