DOHA: The number of organ donors has significantly increased in the country and around ten percent of the population has registered as potential donors with Qatar’s pioneering Organ Donor Registry.

Although, the numbers have increased during the past five years, citizens and residents are yet being encouraged to register as donors as the seventh annual Ramadan Voluntary Blood Donation Campaign and the National Organ Donation Campaign officially opened on Thursday at City Centre Mall.

“During each campaign in the past five years we registered highest number of people as deceased donors. We have reached 270,000 registrants. Their organs will be donated after their demise,” said  Dr Asmaa Al Abdulghani, Director of Organ Donation Campaign at the Hamad Medical Corporation. She said the mindset of the community regarding organ donation has changed over the years due to increased awareness.

“It has been five years since we started the Ramadan campaign. In the beginning it was difficult but now everyone is aware of organ donation because we ran high number of awareness activities through different channels  and approached people,” said Dr Al Abdulghani.  This year’s campaign will run at 15 malls across the country, throughout Ramadan and then will continue until the end of the year.

The Ramadan Voluntary Blood Donation campaign and the National Organ Donation campaign were officially launched by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Founder and Chairman of Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation (ALF).

“ALF has always been a key partner with HMC in these important campaigns which encourage the public to donate blood and consider registering as an organ donor. The blood donation campaign fosters a culture of voluntary blood donation by educating the public about the importance of blood donation and how it can make a positive impact on the lives of many patients. Through our participation, we also aim to raise public awareness about the importance of organ donation by correcting any misconceptions the public may have about organ donation,” Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani said.

Dr  Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at HMC, Ali Al Khater, Chair of the Ministry of Public Health’s Healthcare Communications Committee and Chief Communications Officer at HMC and Abdullatif Ali Al Yafei, General Manager of ALF were among several others present during the ceremony.

While, HMC’s organ donation booth located at City Center Mall as well as at other malls have 500 staff by Qatar Organ Donation Center (Hiba) representatives.  Trained staff working at the booths will provide information about becoming a registered organ donor, including the process involved and the benefits.

The campaign will also provide members of the public with an opportunity to ask questions about organ transplantation. Individuals who are interested in becoming a donor will be able to register at the booths and receive their donor card on the spot.

Professor Riadh Fadhil, Director of the Qatar Organ Donation Center at HMC, said the campaign’s main objective was to increase awareness within the community about organ donation, increase the number of registered donors, and help correct misconceptions about organ donation.

“An organ transplant can be a life-saving procedure and can significantly improve the quality of life for someone with chronic organ failure. Life-saving organs come from deceased donors as well as living donors. In Qatar, it is possible for a suitable living donor to donate a kidney or part of their liver to a relative. In addition to kidney and liver transplantation programs, Qatar also has stem cell and cornea transplantation programs and a pancreas transplantation program is under development,” said Professor Fadhil.

“In Doha, we have a team of highly skilled professionals working in organ donation and transplantation. We have state-of-the-art facilities and provide a safe and compassionate service in contrast to the commercial transplantation done abroad which can carry high mortality rates and the risk of serious complications.”

“We need more donors to register in Qatar so no one has to face losing a loved one while they are waiting for an organ. Achieving self-sufficiency in organ donation as a society cannot be achieved without community solidarity,” Fadhil added.