HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, this week attended an event to mark 30 years of safe and successful organ transplantation surgeries at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), as well as recognise the many pioneers who have contributed to making the programme successful.
The event was arranged to recognise and honour living organ donors and the families of deceased donors. It also acknowledged Qatari transplant recipients who chose to have their procedure in Qatar rather than go abroad, signalling a confidence in the high professionalism of the organ transplantation team operating at Hamad General Hospital.
In 1986 a surgical team at HMC performed Qatar’s first kidney transplant on a Qatari woman who received a donor kidney from her sister. Now, 30 years on, with a 98% success rate, HMC’s organ transplantation programme is one of the most admired in the world. HMC has decreased the number of patients who are traveling abroad for commercial transplantation by 70%.
