Upon the approval on the document, Dr. Ali Abdulkareem Al Obaidli, Chair of the National Organ Transplant Committee, Consultant of Nephrology and Kidney transplantation at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, and Chief Clinical Officer for Abu Dhabi Healthcare Services Company PJSC (SEHA) extended his thanks and appreciation to the Minister of Health H.E. Haneef Hasan Ali and the members of the Health Council and to H.E. Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Chairman, Health Authority- Abu Dhabi, H.E. Zaid Al Siksek, CEO, Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, H.E. Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General, Dubai Health Authority, H.E. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC - SEHA, and to all other healthcare organizations and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments for their input and support that allowed the completion of the document in a matter that services the public need for the UAE population.
Dr. Ali stated that the committee included members from all health sectors in the UAE in addition to members from the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments where they have worked together reviewing the best practices worldwide, the laws in the GCC and other Arab countries, and shared and obtained feedback on the draft of the document from the GCC organ transplant committee during their last meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 9 February 2010 before submitting it to the Health Council for approval.
Dr. Ali Al Obaidli emphasized that the importance of the approval of The UAE Guiding Principles on Organ Transplantation law is that it enables multiorgan donation after death which includes kidney, liver, lung, pancreas and heart transplantation in different phases based on the need due to the international lack of donated organs.
Organ transplantation, one of the medical miracles of the twentieth century, has prolonged and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. The many great scientific and clinical advances of dedicated health professionals, as well as countless acts of generosity by organ donors and their families, have made transplantation not only a life-saving therapy but a shining symbol of human solidarity.
Organ shortage due increasing organ failures worldwide lead the World Health Organization (WHO) and the organ transplant organizations to request from National governments, working in collaboration with international and non-governmental organizations, to develop and implement comprehensive programs for the screening, prevention and treatment of organ failure and for legislations to be developed and implemented to govern the recovery of organs from deceased and living donors consistent with international standards to increase the number of donated organs under close transparent regulatory oversight system that ensures donor and recipient safety.
In addition, the document will allow the collaboration between the GCC countries and other regional countries in organ donation similar to what is available in the European, North American and other countries.
Next steps will include training of physicians, nurses and transplant team members, as well as public education about donation and cadaveric organ transplantation.
The program at SKMC already has a transplantation program for live donors in place and has had great success in kidney transplantation over the past several years. The program is part of a strategic partnership in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center which recently visited Abu Dhabi to review current protocols. Given the strategic partnership already established between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA) and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, SKMC will become the Center of Excellence for multiorgan transplantation in the UAE.
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About the SEHA HealthSystem and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA)
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC - whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA HealthSystem. SEHA is committed to providing high quality, cost effective healthcare in a socially responsible way on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction. SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals. These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Vienna Medical University and Bumrungrad International. SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with 16,500 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ. Visit our website at www.seha.ae.
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