The United Arab Emirates currently has 13.95 deceased organ donors per million people, ranking first among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In other words, the United Arab Emirates has become the organ transplant center in the Persian Gulf region. Schematic diagram of surgery. (AP)
The UAE has performed 1,500 organ transplant cases in the past 10 years
[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) of the United Arab Emirates recently announced that the country's national program for human organ and tissue donation and transplantation "Hayat" has achieved significant results, further consolidating the United Arab Emirates' position in the field of organ donation and transplantation.
MoHAP mentioned in a press release issued in August 2026 that since 2017, the program has assisted more than 1,500 patients through 1,780 organ transplants, including kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts, and pancreas. The program has recorded 549 deceased donors, and the number of donors is expected to increase by 35.5% in 2025. The United Arab Emirates currently has 13.95 deceased organ donors per million people, ranking first among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In other words, the United Arab Emirates has become the organ transplant center in the Persian Gulf region.
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Hayat is the UAE’s National Program for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissue, promoted by MoHAP and officially launched in 2017. Its core purpose is to integrate organ donation, organ transplantation and related medical resources, and improve the United Arab Emirates' organ transplantation capabilities in accordance with international standards.
Hayat means "life" in Arabic, so this project is also positioned as a "life-giving" organ donation system. And it doesn’t just cover organ donation after death. UAE law allows living donors and deceased donors who meet the regulations to perform human organ and tissue transplantation.
Hayat's official page currently states that people over 21 years old and living in the United Arab Emirates, regardless of nationality, can register as organ donors. As of August 2026, more than 39,000 people have registered as organ donors in the Hayat program.
As of August 2026, more than 39,000 people have registered as organ donors in the Hayat program. Schematic diagram. (Picture taken from Giftoflifead fan page)
UAE is the Middle East organ matching and exchange center
Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of MoHAP, said: "We continue to develop Project Hayat in line with our ambitious plans to expand the scope of donations, including leveraging the latest medical technologies, promoting research and innovation, and establishing effective regional and international partnerships. In addition, we continue to consolidate society's understanding of the importance of organ donation as a great humanitarian message."
Amiri emphasized that the number of people registered to donate under the Hayat program continues to increase, and the culture of giving in society is growing day by day, "motivating us to continue to develop services, improve the quality of care, and allow more patients to gain new life opportunities and a more stable future."
The program is currently supported by nine certified organ transplant centers and more than 10,000 trained medical professionals. More than 550 organs have been exchanged between the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, expanding treatment opportunities throughout the region. For example, when there are remaining organs in the United Arab Emirates that cannot be matched, they will be transported across the border to neighboring countries through a comprehensive logistics network.
In a case in August 2025, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Medical Institution "KFSHRC" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Centre), successfully performed a heart transplant on a 7-year-old Saudi Arabian child. The child suffered from a congenital heart defect that caused heart failure. Transplantation became the only feasible option. The transplanted organ came from a brain-dead patient in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The two countries cooperated cross-border to start from the organ The preparations for the official acquisition, air transport to Riyadh and the operating room were all carried out under tight time pressure, and were ultimately successful. In the press release, KFSHRC emphasized that the operation was completed through the coordination and cooperation of "Hayat" and emphasized that the entire process obtained the consent of the donor's family and the approval of the regulatory agency.
In a case in August 2025, the KFSHRC Medical Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, successfully performed a heart transplant on a 7-year-old Saudi Arabian child. (Reuters)
There is no monetary reward for organ donation
UAE is also using artificial intelligence (AI), mechanical perfusion and robotics to improve organ transplant outcomes, including the country's first robot-assisted lung transplant. Future plans include establishing dedicated organ donation units at hospitals, expanding tissue donation, and launching new transplant services, with the goal of increasing the number of organs available for transplant and shortening patient waiting times.
Why is the United Arab Emirates promoting the Hayat organ donation system? The United Arab Emirates officially lists "taking care of patients with organ failure" as one of Hayat's core goals. Currently, patients in need of organ transplants must undergo medical evaluation and then be added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Establishing more legal and traceable sources of organ donation is one of the fundamental ways to solve the problem of transplant waiting.
UAE officials have made it clear that there is no monetary reward for organ donation, and human organ trading is illegal in the UAE. No monetary reward is allowed for organ donation, and human organ trafficking is a crime. Therefore, the country's establishment of a unified registration, allocation and transplantation system is to integrate organ donation into the legal and medical regulatory framework, prevent organ transplantation from becoming an underground trade or an unregulated medical practice, and ensure that all organ donation and transplantation procedures are conducted in medical institutions that meet the highest international standards and are fully transparent and legal.
This is also part of the UAE's national development plan "We the UAE 2031". The UAE reduces its dependence on external medical resources by introducing cutting-edge medical technology and innovative models, with the goal of building the UAE into a world-leading medical and humanitarian medical hub by 2031.
By introducing cutting-edge medical technology and innovative models, the UAE reduces its dependence on external medical resources, with the goal of building the UAE into a world-leading medical and humanitarian medical hub by 2031. Pictured is the Dubai skyline. (AFP)
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