The Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) organ transplant program has risen in prominence as a result of the world-class experience of the surgical and support teams, which recently accomplished a milestone with Qatar's first lung transplant.

The organ transplant program in Qatar began in 1986. Around 40 kidney transplants from living and deceased donors are performed each year by the transplant team.

The program now does kidney, liver, and lung transplants, making it one of the region's most comprehensive transplant programs.

HMC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Abdullah Al Ansari stated that a multidisciplinary team of transplant specialists and surgeons, as well as nurses, social workers, nutritionists, rehabilitation professionals, and other specialists, is delivering the program to give comprehensive care and support.

Dr. Ansari also noted that they have been continuously evolving to meet the growing needs of the community, in addition to striving to fulfill their vision, which aims to provide the best quality care for all patients.

“In November 2019 we set up a Heart and Lung Transplant Taskforce team who were charged with not only creating the environment in which the program would be a success but also marshaling the planning, resources, and technology needed to make this happen. Now, we have performed our first lung transplant at Hamad General Hospital – a momentous achievement for HMC and for Qatar,” he added.

According to the Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani, the successful lung transplant procedure was the culmination of years of hard work by the organ donation and transplant teams.

“The transplant team brings together international and local expertise,” Dr. Al Maslamani said. “At HMC we also have the skills, including international experts, technology, facilities, and access to the expertise to perform these surgeries. Our transplant programs have extremely high success rates and we are continuing to expand and improve, offering new procedures.”

The transplant program's success is also due to Qatar's Organ Donation Program, which has a single, unified waiting list for all nationalities.

The Organ Donor Registry was established in 2012 and has increased rapidly year after year, with over 450,000 persons on the list presently, indicating a 30 percent rise in just two years.

The improvement in the rate of deceased organ donation has enabled HMC to implement new programs, explained Dr. Riadh Fadhil, Director of the Qatar Organ Donation Center at HMC, and the nation has become a global leader in organ donation policies and strategies.

For more information on HMC, kindly visit their website.

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Source: HMC