Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation has blacklisted 80 organ donors after suspicion of financial exploitation.

The center’s General Manager Dr. Faisal Shaheen said the center has launched a program allowing non-relatives to donate their organs.

“We are currently reevaluating that program because people began donating their organs for financial gain. Such an incentive compromises the quality of the organs donated as people may be tempted to donate unhealthy organs just to gain some money. Donors will go through several consultancy sessions to ensure that they are in a suitable physical and mental state to donate their organs,” said Shaheen.

He also said in the year 2017 the center performed 757 kidney transplants donated from living donors.

“A total of 621 kidneys were donated by living relatives, 81 kidney transplants were done from deceased donors and 55 kidneys taken from the organ exchange program. The center also performed 145 liver transplants donated from living donors, 129 of the livers were donated by relatives and 16 were donated by non-relatives,” said Shaheen.

He added around 92 percent of family members of brain-dead patients agree to donate the patient’s organs if they know that the patient would be willing to do so.

“About 40 percent of family members are inclined to donate the brain-dead patient’s organs if they were sure if the patient would agree to such a thing. Many people think that donating organs is against Islamic teachings but that isn’t true. Many prominent scholars have stated that organ donation is allowed in order to save someone’s life,” said Shaheen.