The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has issued a new decree on the declaration of death that will facilitate organ transplantation from cadavers, officials said on Monday. The ministerial decree will give hope to many individuals on transplant waiting lists.
The step, considered a major development in the local health system, also aims to criminalise illegal organ transplant procedures and allows residents to register as future organ donors through their Emirates ID card. Live donor transplants from a close relative are already being done in the country and a number of kidney transplants have been carried out.
The decree, issued by Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, specifically covers three main provisions - death resulting from cardiac-respiratory arrest, death resulting from complete loss of brain functions and paediatric brain death.
Before this law, doctors did not have authority to declare a brain-dead patient dead and did not have authority to switch off life support systems. The decree was drawn up in consultation with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. And was made in response to the urgent need to enact legislation on the declaration of death in a bid to protect hospitals and enable doctors to stop the suffering of brain-dead patients. The question of clinical death is a medical and legal problem, while the issue of organ transplants has raised vital ethical issues such as the clear definition of death and the timing and manner of authorising the transplant procedures.
Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry’s Public Health Policy and Licensing sector said “The decree will facilitate organ transplant as one deceased person who is registered as an organ donor can donate six to seven organs, including cornea, liver and kidneys and can save two lives. The heart that can be transplanted in one recipient as well as the ligaments, tendons and other tissues that can be donated as well for needy patients”.