ABHA — The Saudi Center for Organ Transplant (SCOT) has distributed about 3 million organ donation cards through health centers and dialysis units across the Kingdom, Alsharq daily reported quoting Dr. Faisal Shaheen, director of the center.
"The donation card is aimed at encouraging people in the Kingdom to fill in special donation forms donating their organs after death," he said.
Shaheen said the cards will make easier for the families of the dead people to respect their wish after death. He explained that the donation card is only a method to prove the wish of the donor but not an obligatory or binding document.
Shaheen said when the families see the cards, they will most likely be willing to implement the wish of their dead relative but they are not legally obliged to execute his wish.
"Bereaved relatives shocked by the death of a family member may be relieved to see the card he or she has left behind. This may make it a lot easier for them to donate their dead relative's organs, which may save the lives of several other human beings," he said.
Shaheen said a program for early reporting of the deaths has been established along with a data network linking the intensive care units in hospitals with SCOT's regional office in Jeddah.
"Once proved successful, this experiment, which is being made for the first time in the western region, will be expanded to cover all regions of the Kingdom," he said.
Shaheen said a number of Saudis have been trained and appointed administrative coordinators to talk to the families of brain-dead patients to convince them to donate organs of their relatives.
