Hamad Medical Corporation launches campaign to encourage organ donation

The social and medical benefits of organ donation will be the focus of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) this Holy Month of Ramadan.

HMC launched its ground breaking organ donation promotion campaign for the Holy Month of Ramadan at City Centre Mall on Saturday July 21, 2012 under the patronage of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani.

The campaign will see six information booths set up around Doha – in City Centre Mall, Lagoona Mall, Landmark Mall, the HMC Blood Donation Center and a roving information booth working in conjunction with the Corporation’s Mobile Blood Donation Unit.

The booths will be staffed by qualified counselors who can provide information about organ donation and how people can register as an organ donor.

Organs and tissues that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, and heart valves – in Qatar the major requirement has been for kidney transplants – mainly because if of the increasing incidence of diabetes patients who develop kidney failure and are on dialyses.

Currently HMC has around 500 patients receiving dialyses treatment – of these, around 120 patients have been assesses as fitting the criteria for being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list and are waiting on suitable organs to be available.

Dr Riyadh Abul Sattar Fadhil, head of the organ transplant program at HMC, said the main objective of the campaign is to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and hopefully 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,” Dr Riyadh said. “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 – but this realization is helped if the family are already aware of organ donation and know that their loved one has registered as an organ donor.”

“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.”

HMC is deeply appreciative to Sheikh Faisal for his generous support of the HMC Organ Donation campaign.

For more information go to http://odc.hamad.qa/

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