Abu Dhabi: A braindead man’s organs were donated to save four people’s lives.
Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi facilitated to donate four organs – heart, liver and kidneys – of the deceased man to four ailing people, said a press release issued on Tuesday by the hospital, affiliated to the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).
It was the third heart donation in UAE and the first at Mafraq Hospital.
Dr Hussain Abdul Aziz Al Awadi, ICU Consultant at the hospital and a member of the National Committee for Organ Transplantation, said the real achievement was fulfilling the family’s wish to donate the organs and save lives of four other people in need of organ transplantation. “A 38-year old Emirati man benefited from the heart, while a 58-year-old woman underwent liver transplantation. Another 31-year-old Yemeni man received a kidney and a 9-year-old Sudanese girl received the other kidney,” he said.
The donor was a victim of a road accident, and despite the intensive care the patient received from the medical team, his condition deteriorated until he reached the state of brain death. His internal organs were not damaged and continued to work with the help of mechanical ventilators, resuscitation devices, prosthetic hormones, and pressure steroids.
Meanwhile, the patient’s family was approached to discuss organ donation as per the UAE Law. The family welcomed the idea and willingly accepted it without getting any compensation.
Dr Al Awadi emphasised that the UAE’s Organ Transplant Programme is considered a philanthropic effort that reflects the UAE’s values of giving during the “Year of Zayed”.
Saeed Al Kuwaiti, CEO of Mafraq Hospital, said those who donate organs of a deceased family member are giving a new life to others. “We are willing to support those families by searching for the most qualified patients and help them through other hospitals in the UAE,” he said.
The UAE’s Organ Transplant Programme delivers a humanitarian message of ‘tolerance and giving’ in cooperation with health care providers. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Cleveland Clinic, Al Jalila Hospital, Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and the members of the National Committee for Organ Transplantation contributed to the success of the programme, said the press release.
