Thursday 18 / December / 2025
Muscat: The Ministry of Health, represented by the Oman Center for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, marked Omani Organ Donation Day, observed annually on December 19. The event serves as a tribute to the values of generosity and solidarity in Omani society and aims to raise awareness about the life-saving importance of organ donation.
The celebration is part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to enhance and expand organ donation services across the Sultanate. It also encourages individuals to consider donating during their lifetime or registering through the “Shifa” app to donate organs posthumously, offering renewed hope to patients awaiting transplants.
Dr. Qasim bin Mohammed Al-Jahdhami, Head of the Organ Donation Program, highlighted key achievements, including the receipt of over 153 reports of suspected brain death cases from various governorates. These led to seven confirmed consents for organ donation, resulting in three successful posthumous transplants. Eight organs including kidneys and livers were transplanted to patients without living donors. Notably, Oman also witnessed its first-ever heart transplant this year.
Dr. Al-Jahdhami reported that 2025 saw 15 liver transplants (14 from living donors and one from a deceased donor) and 35 kidney transplants (9 from living donors and 6 from deceased donors). The corneal transplant program also advanced significantly, with 107 procedures performed this year and the service expanding to more hospitals across the country.
The event featured a lecture by the Medical Director of the Spanish National Transplant Organization, who shared successful global experiences and discussed the medical and economic impact of organ transplant programs. Dr. Ali Al-Jahdhami also delivered a talk on “The Virtue of Organ Donation in Islam,” addressing both the ethical and humanitarian dimensions of this noble act. Several transplant recipients shared moving testimonies about their journeys and the life changing impact of receiving an organ.
Held at the Grand Hormuz Hotel, the ceremony was under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Said bin Harib Al Lamki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs, and attended by senior officials from the Ministry and various healthcare institutions across Oman.
The event underscored the vital role of organ donation in saving lives and emphasized the need to foster a culture of donation during life or after death as a profound expression of human compassion and solidarity.
