Saudi organ transplants save 12 patients, including four children

RIYADH — The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) helped save the lives of 12 patients, including four children, after coordinating five organ retrieval procedures from brain-dead donors, four of which were completed within just 48 hours.The life-saving operations were carried out in cooperation with medical institutions inside and outside Saudi Arabia, providing transplants for patients suffering from end-stage organ failure.The procedures included two heart transplants, one of them for a child, two liver transplants, including one for a child with liver failure, two lung transplants, and six kidney transplants that ended the suffering of two children and four other patients with kidney failure who had relied on dialysis.SCOT Director General Dr. Talal Al-Qoufi said the organs were allocated according to established medical ethics and clinical priorities to ensure fair distribution among patients.He said the achievement reflected close coordination among healthcare authorities and praised the efforts of the Saudi Air Medical Evacuation Administration and the medical teams involved in the operations in Saudi Arabia and abroad.Al-Qoufi also expressed gratitude to the families of the deceased donors for their decision to donate their loved ones' organs, describing their generosity as giving new hope and life to others.The center coordinated the procedures with King Abdullah Hospital in Bisha, King Fahad Hospital in Al-Ahsa, Maternity and Children's Hospital in Abha, and the UAE's Hayat Organ Donation and Transplant Program under the Gulf Cooperation Council's organ-sharing program.Organ transplantation remains the only treatment option for patients with end-stage organ failure and plays a vital role in reducing transplant waiting lists. People in Saudi Arabia can register or withdraw from the national organ donation program through the Tawakkalna platform.