Abu Dhabi strengthens its global standing in organ transplantation with life-saving procedures.
ABU DHABI: More than 2,150 patients in the UAE have received life-saving organ transplants since the national “Hayat” organ and tissue donation programme was launched in 2017, with figures recorded through June 2026.
The milestone was highlighted by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi on World Organ Donation Day, underscoring the life-changing impact of organ donation and its potential to give patients a renewed chance at better health and quality of life.
Since the launch of “Hayat”, Abu Dhabi has further enhanced its standing as a global hub for organ transplantation, supported by an advanced healthcare ecosystem capable of delivering highly complex procedures, including some of the first of their kind in the UAE and the wider region.
The emirate has also maintained transplant success rates in line with leading international standards, strengthening its reputation as a destination for specialised healthcare and medical excellence.
Organ transplantation ecosystem
The milestone highlights Abu Dhabi’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem, bringing together advanced infrastructure, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, highly skilled medical professionals, innovation and international collaboration.
These combined capabilities enable the emirate to provide patients with specialised transplant care that meets high international standards.
Dr Rashed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, said every organ transplant represents “a new chance at life” for a patient, renewed hope for a family and an extraordinary act of generosity by a donor.
He said Abu Dhabi remains committed to advancing its integrated organ transplantation ecosystem by delivering the highest standards of care, adopting the latest technologies and attracting leading international medical expertise to improve patients’ quality of life.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
A key component of Abu Dhabi’s integrated organ transplantation ecosystem is the Multi-Organ Transplant Centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, accredited by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and recognised as the UAE’s first multi-organ transplant centre.
The centre operates the UAE’s only heart and lung transplant programme and has a specialised intensive care unit dedicated to transplant patients, reinforcing its role in advancing transplant medicine across the country.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has also joined an elite group of just five centres worldwide — and the first in the UAE — to successfully perform a robotic lung transplant. The centre has also carried out the country’s first combined heart-and-double-lung transplant.
Other major institutions, including Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, part of SEHA, along with Burjeel Medical City and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, contribute specialised expertise to Abu Dhabi’s integrated transplantation network. Their involvement is helping expand the emirate’s capacity to deliver advanced and specialised transplant care.
Global partnerships driving transplant excellence
As part of its efforts to further develop Abu Dhabi’s organ transplantation ecosystem, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has forged strategic partnerships with leading international institutions to strengthen clinical expertise and share global best practices.
These collaborations include a partnership with Spain’s Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI) to strengthen deceased-donor programmes and advance liver transplantation. Abu Dhabi has also worked with leading transplant programmes in the United States and partnered with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to further enhance standards in kidney transplantation.
These international partnerships have supported a range of pioneering initiatives aimed at expanding patient access to specialised services and treatment pathways, including tissue donation and donation after circulatory death (DCD).
Alongside efforts to build transplant capacity, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has strengthened organ-exchange programmes with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Together, the three countries have exchanged more than 550 organs, helping save the lives of patients with complex medical conditions.
Unified national system
The UAE’s National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Hayat, launched by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, provides an integrated national framework for advancing organ and human tissue donation and transplantation in line with international standards.
The programme is designed to regulate donation and transplantation procedures, ensure comprehensive care for patients and support better health, safety and quality of life across the community.
On World Organ Donation Day, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi expressed its gratitude to organ donors’ families, whose generosity provides a lasting legacy of hope, as well as to the hospitals and healthcare professionals whose expertise supports organ donation and transplantation.
The department also praised the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Hayat, and its partners for their continued efforts to promote a culture of donation and excellence in transplantation across the UAE.
Those interested in becoming organ donors and supporting the life-saving initiative can register through the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s organ donation registration platform.
