Monday 16 / September / 2024
Muscat: With fewer than 400 people signing up to become organ donors in Oman since March, doctors have warned that the Sultanate’s organ donation scheme requires intensive care.
The Ministry of Health organised a campaign to attract donors in March this year, but until now fewer than 375 people - many of them medics - have enrolled to donate their organs in the event of their deaths.
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Transplants
For kidney transplants alone in Oman, at least 1,600 people are waiting - at a cost of OMR,1500 per patient per month.
Dr. Issa Al Salmi, head of renal services at the Royal hospital in Oman, said: “Since March we have now almost 375 people who have registered but when we look at the number of people waiting for organs- there are more than 1,600 people on dialysis and waiting for kidneys, then there is a similar figure when it comes to the liver waiting list and there is also pancreatic, lung and cornea transplants awaited, so it’s quite a big percentage of organ failure, and kidneys are in the highest demand.”
According to Dr. Al Salmi, a large majority of those waiting for organs and the ones who have signed up for the donor card are Omanis.
“Here the figure is mostly made of Omani nationals because very few expats work in the government sector and insurance does not cover the cost of dialysis and other support mechanisms, and so they are forced to move back to their home countries where they can opt for such systems,” Dr. Al Salmi.
The government is currently spending OMR2,000 per month for one patient to cover the cost of their dialysis, and so organ donation which takes OMR4,000 to OMR5,000 for one transplant is considered a much cheaper approach to cutting costs and improving individual lives, Dr. Al Sami says.
“The Ministry of Health (MoH) pays OMR125 for one session of dialysis and in a week people need three here, so that is OMR375 a week, so roughly OMR1,500 per month which is a huge amount, so they need to have a proper programme in place where they cut the costs and not only costs, this is about the life of the individuals who are bound to hospital beds.”
Currently, the organ donor card can only be obtained from the Royal Hospital by anyone who is a mature adult. By next year they might also be made available in other major hospitals around the country, he added.
“Any adult can donate organs which can be obtained from the donor clinic next to the emergency department at the hospital. Individuals who intend to donate their organs can take a card, fill the information, sign it with the details and then their information is transferred on to an excel sheet. We are working towards making it available in other hospitals around Oman by next year.”
People willing to donate also need to provide the name and contact details of a relative who is aware of their intentions.
In light of the high road accident fatality figure in the country, Dr. Al Salmi says that the government needs to work towards a mechanism where the intention of a person needs to be printed on their ID cards. This would facilitate the process of organ donation, he said.
“We need to develop a programme where your ID card says if you wish to donate your organs. This helps because the deceased can immediately be brought into the hospital and regardless of brain death can be put on fluid circulation which will help in preserving of organs and in the meantime a patient can be called to the hospital and the transplant can take place immediately.
“In a community where young and fit people die on the streets every day, it is such a waste.”
Two years ago, in 2014, the Grand Mufti of Oman, His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamed Al Khalili, issued a fatwa, allowing organ transplant after brain death under certain circumstances. This came as a clarifying message to people, who were unsure of organ donation in the past.
According to the fatwa, the necessity of transferring the organs should be established and it should be apparent that the patient cannot be treated further.
Leading example
“Saudi Arabia is the leading example in the region and worldwide regarding support societies to really push through organ donations, both from logistics and financial support. It has become an example worldwide with over 2,000 transplants a year.
“Kuwait is moving very well, neck and neck with Saudi, and Qatar has a programme of support not only with patients of kidney failure but also for donors and looking after them, because you need to look after the donors too.
“Bahrain has recently started progressing in the field and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have done a great programme and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid University has recently inaugurated a programme in May where they have started cadaveric transplantation.
“Although Oman started the program long time ago it hasn’t picked up. We did get the odd organ donors from deceased people, but that generally came from western people in the past who were better aware of the issue.”
Dr. Al Salmi says that what Oman really needs are patients’ societies, which help create awareness on the issue of organ donation and encourage more people to donate.
“We need the society to support itself by patient societies. The Ministry of Health needs to really support these. These are focused on improvement of healthcare especially at the time of difficulty and limited resources, because that will reduce the burden on the MoH and allow the patient and their families to seek alternatives to improve the care.”
About 250 kidney transplants have taken place in Oman in the last five years, and another 160 have been carried out abroad.
