More organ donors come forward with increasing awareness in Oman

Muscat: Organ donation is more important than many of us realise—for society and for the individuals it directly affects.  For some people with end-stage organ failure, it is truly a matter of life and death.

Presiding over the national programme for organ transplant, Dr. Ahmed bin Said Al Busaidi, Supervisor of the National Organ Transplant Programme at the Ministry of Health, said, “We witness increasing awareness on donation of organs and an increasing number of people registering through ‘Shifa Application’ for donation of organs following death, which is something very positive. We are working on analysing details of the donors.”

He said the Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health, stresses the necessity of advancing and regulating organ transplant operations and producing a qualified national medical cadre to offer such services.

He also laid stress on developing other services during such medical interventions.

The Ministry is also working on reviewing and updating laws, regulations and a code of ethics that guarantee the rights and safety of donors and patients alike, he said.

He said the establishment of Oman Centre for Organ Transplantation is clear evidence of the His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik’s concern for the growth of this branch of medicine, adding that the centre represents a qualitative shift in the development of the national programme for organ transplantation.

The Ministerial Decision issued by the Ministry of Health last March on the initiation of the national programme regulating transplant of organs and human tissues aims to develop this service through completion of all components of the programme, including dissemination of awareness among all sectors of the society on the significance of donating organs before or after death, he said.

The decision also aims to set up treatment and clinical therapy protocols along with establishment of a database, including registration of all patients who require organ transplant and their registration in a common national waiting list. –