Saturday 18 / May / 2024
Muscat: People in Oman have been asked to register on the organ donation app launched by the Ministry of Health so that patients who are in urgent need of life-saving transplants can be helped.
During an event organised to launch the application and promote awareness on the importance of organ donation, Dr Nevine Al Kalbani, head of the Organ Donation Department at the Royal Hospital, said the app encouraged people to donate their organs as a manifestation of social solidarity.
“We hope that this new application will help increase the number of organ donors to meet the increasing demand for organs received by health institutions in the Sultanate of Oman,” said Al Kalbani.
Explaining the importance of donating livers and kidneys, Al Kalbani added: “There are at a times, 3,000 patients in queue for donors and are subsisting on dialysis, which is psychologically and physically a tiring experience.”
The event, which was held in the presence of Minister of Health Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, was organised at the Royal Hospital, with the support of Sohar Aluminium. The application, codenamed ‘AttaOka’, is financed by Sohar Aluminium, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR). It highlights the company’s role in supporting the health sector and motivating society to go for organ donation.
Launched to instill the culture of organ donation in the society and raise awareness on an important issue, the app contains data, information and expert opinions that will help educate people in this matter.
The app defines the processes and mechanisms for organ donation in Oman, highlights the consequences of illegal trade in human organs, corrects misinterpretations about organ donation and provides information on the status of donor relatives.
It also provides people with information on liver and kidney transplants, while answering inquiries concerning children, adolescents and pregnant and nursing mothers. “This awareness electronic application is the first of its kind in Oman and the Arab World, when it comes to organ donation,” said Al Saidi. “One brain-dead donor can save the life of eight other people. I urge all citizens and residents to familiarise themselves with the application and register on the ‘Shifa’ app, for posthumous organ donation.
“It is the ministry’s endeavour to enhance the quality of life through organ transplantation, thereby advancing medical services in Oman,” he added.
Dr Nevine Al Kalbani added: “The app educates donors about the types and stages of donation, while raising awareness about the organ transplantation operations conducted at the Royal Hospital and the healthcare provided after operations.”
Representatives of Sohar Aluminium at the launch ceremony confirmed that the company takes pride in supporting such endeavours. Such efforts are part of the company’s commitment towards social responsibility and support towards concerning issues, initiatives and projects that serve all sections of society, as stipulated by the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik (may God preserve and protect him), and in line with the objectives and aspirations of Oman Vision 2040.
The app was launched as an extension of the previous campaign launched by the Ministry of Health to raise awareness of society and urge them to pledge their organs for donation. As a result of these efforts, there has been an increase in the number of donors who signed up on the ‘Shifa’ application.
Since its launch in December 2021, 17 kidney transplants from brain dead donors have been made possible at Royal Hospital and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Furthermore, 300 kidney transplants from living donors, and 13 liver transplants from living donors have been conducted so far.
