The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to sign up to be organ donors and to dispel certain myths surrounding transplants

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has launched an organ donation campaign for the holy month of Ramadan at a ceremony at City Center shopping mall.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to sign up to be organ donors and to dispel certain myths surrounding transplants which often deter people from wanting to donate.

In total, eight organs can be donated, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver and intestines, while tissues such as skin, heart valves and corneas can also be transplanted. In Qatar, the main demand is for kidney transplants, which HMC has been carrying out for a number of years.

With the high incidence of diabetes throughout the country, the number of patients suffering from kidney problems and having to undergo dialysis regularly continues to rise by around 200 a year, explained the head of the organ transplant programme at HMC, Dr Riyadh Abdul Sattar Fadhil.

Some 500 patients now receive regular dialysis at HMC, and an active waiting list of 120 candidates has been prepared for potential transplants and now await donor organs.

The campaign, held under the patronage of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, will see the team from HMC holding events at various locations to encourage people to become organ donors.

Six information booths will be established, including the City Center location as well as the Lagoona Mall, Landmark, the HMC Blood Donation Centre and a roving information booth which will work alongside the mobile blood donation unit.

Counsellors at the booths will provide information about organ donation, while blood donation units will allow donors to give blood if they wish to do so.

Dr Riyadh explained that the main objective of the campaign is to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and reduce any concerns or misconceptions that people have regarding the process.

“Organ donation is voluntary and this campaign seeks to encourage people to register as potential organ donors,” he said, adding “it has often been shown that when a tragic death occurs, family members take comfort in knowing that through organ donation, some good has resulted from the tragedy.”

Even after someone has registered as a donor, their family must give consent before any of their organs can be used, and so the commitment to donation and a desire to provide one’s organs for medical use in the case of an accident is something which families should discuss.

“The tragic death of one person can potentially provide a new lease on life for eight other people. People of all ages can become donors,” he added.

As well as the large number of kidney transplant operations conducted since 1986, HMC doctors also performed the first two liver transplant operations at the hospital earlier this year. The team are hoping to offer other transplant operations in the future should the need arise, however with such a demand for kidney operations, this will more than likely remain the primary focus of the hospital.