UAE records 1,026 organ transplants in 30 months, deceased donations rise 35%

Dubai: The UAE recorded 1,026 organ transplants between the start of 2024 and the end of June 2026, while deceased organ donation rose sharply last year, according to the head of the country’s national transplant committee.

Dr. Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli, Chairman of the National Committee for Organ Transplantation, said 352 transplants were recorded in 2024, rising to 452 in 2025. A further 222 procedures were carried out in the first half of 2026.

Deceased organ donation increased by 35 per cent between 2024 and 2025, with the number of deceased donors rising from 110 to 149, Dr Al Obaidli said, according to Al Etihad newspaper.

Those 149 donors helped save the lives of 451 people who required different organ transplants last year. The UAE reached a rate of 13 deceased donors per million people, he added.

Speaking on the sidelines of the third EHS International Critical Care, Organ Donation and Transplantation Conference in Dubai, Dr Al Obaidli said recipients included patients requiring kidney, liver, heart and lung transplants, as well as people who needed multiple organs.

The 222 transplants carried out in the first six months of 2026 included heart, kidney, liver and other organ procedures.

Dr Al Obaidli said the 35 per cent increase referred specifically to the change in deceased donations between 2024 and 2025. Growth for the first half of 2026 has not yet been calculated against the same period last year.

He noted that the UAE’s donation and transplantation programme is one of the fastest-growing of its kind, attributing its development to government support and a combination of legislation, regulation, institutional capacity and public engagement.

The country’s transplant network has also expanded. Nine hospitals now provide kidney transplant services and five offer liver transplants, while one hospital provides multi-organ transplantation.

Dr Al Obaidli noted that any further expansion in the number of hospitals would be determined by the relevant health authorities. The national committee works closely with the National Centre for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues, with the two bodies sharing expertise and responsibilities across the national programme.

Regional cooperation has also become an increasing part of the UAE’s approach. Dr Al Obaidli pointed to collaboration with Kuwait, saying many Kuwaiti patients who previously travelled to Europe or the United States for treatment can now receive care in the UAE through cooperation between the two countries.

He said the UAE supports greater integration between countries on organ donation and transplantation, consistent with World Health Organization recommendations issued in 2024 calling for a more coordinated global strategy.

The UAE backed that approach during a workshop held alongside the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2026, he said, as part of efforts to expand international cooperation and exchange expertise.

Among the latest developments, Dr Al Obaidli said the UAE’s comprehensive health insurance system includes provisions designed to support and enable organ donation and transplantation.

He said the programme’s wider goal goes beyond treating patients with organ failure. It also seeks to give individuals and donors’ families the ability to exercise their right to donate and help save other lives.