Dr Mustafa Al-Musawi

KUWAIT: Kuwait comes first in the Arab region and second in the Middle East in terms of the number of organ donors after death, compared to the population, a health official said. Kuwait witnessed, last year, around 50 kidney transplants, sourced from 50 deceased individuals, and 49 operations, sourced from live patients, Dr Mustafa Al-Musawi, Ministry of Health Organ Provision Unit Director and Kuwait Transplant Society chief said.

His comments came during a Kuwait Transplant Society event held to honor these donors, and to launch a similar campaign urging further organ donations. The campaign seeks to raise the number of donors from 17,000, currently, to 30,000. Around 100 kidney transplants are carried out annually, being the most common, said Dr Al-Musawi. However, heart transplants have just started to enter the fray as the country remains lagging in the transplantation of other organs in comparison to neighboring Gulf Arab countries. - KUNA

Organ donor honored