UAE — The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, and US-based Eversight, one of the leading non-profit eye banks in the world have partnered to establish the UAE’s first Eye and Tissue Bank.
The Agreement will witness the creation, development, and operation of a comprehensive and seamless eye transplantation framework in the UAE.
In attendance of Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of DoH and Carrie Wolverton – Global Development Director at Eversight, the partnership was reflected through a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed by Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of DoH and Global Director, Development at Eversight.
Through this strategic collaboration, DoH and Eversight will set the building blocks across three phases, which include program design, implementation, and management.
In its early stages, both entities will focus on implementing the necessary arrangements for the Eye and Tissue Bank – Abu Dhabi to serve as an importer of corneas and other eye-related tissues into the region.
In addition to integrating the eye and tissue banking program into the UAE’s National Programme for Organ Donation and Transplantation.
Eversight will, for its part, develop a comprehensive medical framework to standardize and operate all clinical functions and procedures within the Eye and Tissue Bank — Abu Dhabi, in accordance with international best practices.
Dr. Al Kaabi said, “Through this partnership, we aim to further improve healthcare outcomes and facilitate quick and seamless operations for all patients in need of eye-tissue transplantation in the UAE.”
Al Kaabi added, “We encourage all community members to register their consent to donate organs and tissues post-mortem. While we work limitlessly to reiterate Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for healthcare, we empower our community to partake in the journey to excellence through noble and sentimental actions as this.”
Held in Abu Dhabi, the International Conference for Initiatives on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation witnessed the launch of the Abu Dhabi community campaign in support of The National Program for Organ Donation and Transplantation, “Hayat” by Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
The campaign aims to encourage society members to register as organ and tissue donors, contributing to improving the quality of life of patients suffering from organ failure, Al Hamed being the first to register as an organ and tissue donor in the campaign.
The conference aimed to shed light on global experiences and best practices related to the scientific, charitable, societal, and legal aspects of organ donation, in addition to raising awareness around healthy living and prevention of disease in the community.
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
