HH Sheikha Moza attends organ donation honouring ceremony

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Vice President of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) attended today a ceremony held to honour organ donors at the SCH premises. The ceremony was attended by a number of their excellences Sheikhs, ministers, officials from the Supreme Health Council and Hamad Medical Corporation, concerned government institutions, as well as organ donors and recipient families.

Her Highness later attended a dinner banquet held on the occasion.

The celebration was held to honour donors who gave organs to their relatives and those to donate organs after death and as an occasion for the launch of the comprehensive national campaign for the encouragement of organ donation under the theme "Together we plant hope."

HE the Minister of Public Health Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Qahtani gave a speech on the occasion in which he said "I am pleased and honored to meet with you in those blessed days in this event marking 'Celebration of Life,' which was initiated by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, to honor the organ donors. This is a real humanitarian deed which makes one donate a part of him to grant hope for others. This is truly generous."

In his speech the Public Health Minister said Qatar has always been a place for benefaction and intimacy, "Allah has endowed our country with a natural wealth that was well utilized to make it economy one of the fastest developing economies in the world under the wise leadership and directives of H.H. the Emir and H.H. Sheikha Moza. They have transformed this wealth into richness in education, culture, science, health and urban development." Health occupies a high standing in the country's priorities which raises the slogan "Health for All" without discrimination.

"As far as organ transplant is concerned, Qatar is a front runner, legislatively and practically, as such operations started as early as 1986 at Hamad Medical Corporation which has been conducting these operations with a high degree of success that match the best medical centres in the world. However, we face the problem of low number of donors. This forces some people seek elsewhere to find compensation which may expose them to immoral trade in organs," Al-Qahtani said.

He added that Hamad Medical Corporation has been actively busy to draw increase their organ transplant efforts through the development of a strategic plan with clear objectives and phases. This plan comes to reflect the futuristic vision of H.H. the Emir and H. H. Sheikha Moza.

Al-Qahtani explained that the plan draws on the guiding principles of the World Health Organisation, and the proposals of Istanbul Accord regarding trade in human organs to come out with a conception that observes the applicable Qatari laws and legislations. Qatar has arrived at a number of principles and proposals which constituted a new school in organ donation being recognized as "Doha Donation Accord".

"I take this opportunity to announce to you that H.H. Sheikha Moza has approved the Doha organ donation accord. This has put us all face to face with a national, moral and professional responsibility to make this project a success. This requires the joint efforts of all government and non-government parties to honour donors for their humane and courageous actions.

"Efforts by the Supreme Council of Health and Hamad Medical Corporation aim at launching a campaign for organ donation. Hence, we plead to all our community members to make this campaign an example in brotherhood and mercifulness to eliminate these long waiting lists, and protect our patients from being exposed to seek damaging operations abroad," Al-Qahtani said.

Concluding, the Public Health Minister said "Now, in the name of Allah, let us start our campaign under the slogan "together we plant hope".​