Many healthcare organisations are on the journey to digital disruption. Unfortunately, a lot of them will have a difficult time reaching it. Most organisations are just in the beginning stages, while some are still in the starting blocks. Additionally, there are many internal and external issues that may delay or stall the process. Here, we will discuss some of those ‘stumbling blocks’ and offer suggestions on how to overcome them.

The three continuum’s organisations need to address if it is going to digitally transform are data/technology, people/organisation and process/workflow. If they do, they will have a better chance of success than those addressing this as purely a data or technology issue. In spite of that, there are still some major stumbling blocks that will impact the organisation’s success. These will each be addressed by continuum.

Data/Technology

This is the continuum that gets the most attention. Most organisations have installed an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. For many, the EHR alone has become a stumbling block. There have been delays on the part of the organisation or the vendor that has cost millions of dollars in implementation costs and/or stimulus incentive money. Recently, articles have been published that discuss how Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have been terminated for buying a very popular EHR with a good reputation. Unfortunately, the real reason those CIOs were terminated was not that they choose this EHR solution but because they chose the wrong solution for their organisation and/or didn’t have the right resources to implement the solution, which led to extensive cost overruns.

To overcome this stumbling block, the organisation has to first make sure they use a proper selection process. Not every solution will work for every situation. Second, they have to make sure they have the right resources to implement the solution. This will mean making a hard assessment of the staff’s capabilities to implement and customise the solution and/or determine if staff augmentation needs to be included in the budget. Third, they have to make sure they use proper project management methodologies. Without this, the implementation could spin out of control resulting in missed deadlines and exceeded budgets.

An area that is out of the organisation’s control at this time is the lack of mainstream analytical tools. Most healthcare analytical tools are revenue cycle management focused, others are custom made or are being built into various EHR solutions. If your organisation does not have one of the solutions with built-in analytics or can’t afford custom analytics, you could miss out on the real benefits of being data-enabled with the needed real-time decision support tools.

Process/Workflow

This continuum deals with the workflow of how the data is captured and managed. The biggest stumbling block on this continuum is gaining accurate data capture throughout the healthcare organisation network. Some workflows may accurately capture data only some of the time when it needs to be accurately captured 100 per cent of the time. Capture rates can vary by unit, hospital unit or hospital network. Some of this is addressed by the ‘People’ continuum stumbling block to follow.

This stumbling block is primarily overcome by utilising the best workflow for your organisation. When a software solution is purchased, some will follow your current workflow, some will force a workflow change to fit the solution, while the best will be flexible enough to incorporate your workflows into the industry best practices to maximise efficiencies.

People/Organisation

Although the resistance to using an EHR by many in the provider community has declined, some have found many ways to keep from having to use the technology, including continuing to make verbal or telephone orders for the nurses to enter. To overcome this stumbling block, the organisation has to help the providers embrace the change. This is difficult because we are making a change to an entire industry in a short amount of time. Telling them to embrace change is easy to say but difficult for most people to do.

To overcome this stumbling block, the organisation has to manage the physician staff’s expectations. Physicians should be included in the EHR decision making and implementation planning process. The organisation should also identify champions who naturally embrace the change and who will help drive the implementation amongst their peers. When an organisation’s physician champion hears a colleague, who is not completely on board complaining about the solution, they could help by providing positive and/or correct information. Lastly, make the physicians part of the ongoing process through recognition for usage and allowable incentives, for instance, tracking and reporting on the top users of the solution.

Next steps

To implement these strategies is straightforward but requires a special skill set to manage. You need a good strategist, technologist, project manager, human behaviour specialist and communicator all in one.

First, you will need to perform or have someone perform an assessment of where your organisation is on each continuum. There is more to the continuums than has been covered here. Next, you will need to put a plan in place to advance your organisation along the continuums recognising the fact that there will be stumbling blocks that will need to be addressed. Lastly, follow your implementation plan looking forward to where you need to be while looking back at where you’ve been with an honest assessment of your capabilities and success.

Digital transformation is a journey. Treat it as such and you’ll have a successful and adaptable implementation.

Dr. Hala Al Jaber, Specialist Dermatologist at Medcare Mirdif Medical Center said, “Globally, and in the UAE specifically, there is a limited understanding amongst patients of the presentation, cause and treatment options for psoriasis. Lack of knowledge can lead to delayed diagnosis and lead to worsened comorbidities.”

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a complex life-long, autoimmune inflammatory disease that is thought to occur when environmental triggers interact with a patient’s immune system and can present in many different ways. It usually appears on the skin as non-contagious chronic red patches covered by white scales over affected areas such as the elbows and knees.

Systemic Disease

It is also a systemic disease, meaning patients diagnosed with psoriasis are at a higher risk of developing other serious medical conditions. Psoriasis can lead to an increased prevalence of psoriatic arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Being diagnosed with chronic conditions such as psoriasis can also lead to depression and low self-esteem. The nature of these comorbidities means that the most effective treatment is improving the patient’s lifestyle and overall health. Topical treatments, phototherapy and systemic medicines can help manage the condition.

“Although many treatment options exist, there is no cure for this condition as there is a genetic component to the disease,” said Dr. Rahul Chaudhary, Specialist Dermatologist at Medcare Discovery Gardens Medical Center. “However certain risk factors are preventable; patients should manage their weight and stress levels, reduce alcohol intake and avoid smoking. These lifestyle changes can reduce the severity of psoriasis flares.”

Treatment Approach

“My approach to treatment involves assessing the severity of the patient’s condition. Combination therapy of topicals, phototherapy and oral medication has traditionally worked best, but lately, biologic treatments targeting the patient’s immune system have been gaining momentum and seeing results faster. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment mean the disease will go into remission faster,” explained Dr. Chaudhary.

When it comes to treating psoriasis, Dr. Al Jaber highlighted: “There are many therapies that provide a standard level of care, but it does not mean that all patients will respond well to any treatment. There are many factors and comorbidities to be considered when trying to find the right treatment option for a patient.”

References available on request.

“There are many advantages that homeopathy offers to patients, the primary one being holistic treatment, which means it treats a person as a whole and not only on the basis of their external symptoms. Moreover, homeopathy is safe, painless, non-invasive, and treats ailments naturally,” explains Dr. Mukesh Batra, Padma Shri Recipient for Homeopathy and Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Dr Batra’s Group of Companies, with 10 international clinics in five countries including UK, UAE, Bahrain, and Bangladesh.

“Homeopathy, as a complementary medical treatment, is gaining popularity across the world. It is already being integrated into national insurance systems in the UK, UAE and India. It is also being integrated into renowned multi-specialty hospitals like KBMC in Bahrain and Dr Muffi’s Digestive Health Institute in India.”

The UAE Government approved the practice of homeopathy in the country in early 2001 and the UAE Ministry of Health (MOH) recognises and regulates the practice of homeopathy in a systematic way. Both medical doctors and lay practitioners can practice homeopathy provided they clear their MOH exams, which cover both medical science and homeopathy.

According to Dr. Batra, prescribed medicines need to be prepared in accordance with the international pharmacopeia standards and be FDA approved. Similar to traditional medicine, prescribed homeopathic medicines need to be registered with the local pharmacies and the governing bodies. All homeopaths need to follow ICD 10 Coding. i.e. a system used by physicians and other healthcare providers to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care.

Medical practices like Dr. Batra’s undergo regular audits by the local regulatory bodies and also need to provide patient statistics at regular intervals to the UAE MoH.

According to a survey conducted by DHCC, close to 48 per cent of the UAE population has tried complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and close to 55 per cent was happy with the results. The UAE is one of the first countries to include homeopathy within its health insurance system.

“Women in particular are increasingly opting for homeopathic treatment, especially to cure a variety of ailments they suffer during pregnancy, as it provides safe and natural treatment options. Homeopathy has shown remarkable results in treating some of the common illnesses prevalent in UAE including depression, anxiety, stress allergies, and child health ailments,” Dr. Batra says.

What's the trigger?

Blockage of coronary arteries and irritation of the heart due to a number of infections may trigger irregular heartbeats, especially in older people with a history of heart disease.

Disease, injury, or genetics may be other factors that affect heart tissue or alter electrical signals that control your heart beat.

Often there are not many other symptoms other than feeling dizzy or have difficulty breathing that accompanies arrhythmia.

Psychological impact

This condition can affect a patient on a psychological level as it makes them extremely self-aware, which can hamper some activities and make them think twice before engaging in exercise and sports. There it is important to ensure timely medical intervention to continue leading full and healthy lives.

When sitting still, your heart beats (expands and contracts) 60 to 80 times each minute. With irregular heartbeats, you may feel like a racing heart or a fluttering sensation, however the severity of cardiac arrhythmias can vary tremendously. Premature (extra) beats are the most common type of arrhythmia while supraventricular tachycardias are fast heart rates.

Symptoms to watch out for

The heart’s normal electrical system, which regulates your heart rate and heart rhythm can also be affected by diabetes, excessive coffee consumption, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), mental stress, smoking and certain medications. Arrhythmia can produce symptoms that can be quite disruptive to your life. With each incident, arrhythmia causes even more serious symptoms to develop such as fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath and anxiety, chest pain or pressure and in extreme cases, collapse and sudden cardiac arrest.

Malignant arrhythmia is highly lethal and can cause death, especially when blood flow to the brain is reduced and a person can become unconscious. Using tests such as electrocardiogram (ECG) or a Holter monitor for 24 hours along with stress tests, tilt tests and electrophysiology studies, a doctor will be able to learn a lot more about the heart’s condition.

References available on request.

The term acute renal failure (ARF) describes the clinical syndrome in which an abrupt (hours to days) decrease in renal function leads to the accumulation of nitrogenous waste products and, commonly, a reduction in urine output.

According to Dr. Manu Gopala Krishnan, Specialist – Nephrology, Aster Hospital, Qusais, in the UAE, previously, doctors were entirely dependent on creatinine for diagnosis of AKI but now there are various tests that will pick up AKI at a much earlier stage. These are called novel biomarkers of kidney injury.

“The disadvantage of creatinine is that it will elevate in renal failure only once 50 per cent of kidney function is lost,” Krishnan explains. “Novel biomarkers are kidney injury molecule -1, cystatin c, NGAL (Neutrophil gelatin associated lipocalin) and LFABP (Liver Fatty Acid Binding Proteins).”

Chronic kidney disease has also evolved tremendously from classification based on estimated glomeurular filtration rate. It is classified in to five stages based on GFR (normal filtration 90- 120ml /min/1.73m2). In the classification, a test called micro albuminuria has been added to detect renal failure early because of the fact that routine urine test will not pick this up. If CKD is detected early, there are effective measures to prevent the progression of disease. Especially if eGFR is less than 6o ml/min for more than three months then close monitoring is required.

“Today, new modalities of dialysis like hemodiafiltration, which is done at Aster Hospital, and hemofiltration, has improved the clearance of waste products, thereby increasing the quality of life in patients with stage 5 CKD (GFR less than 15 ml/min),” he adds.

“Currently, doctors are expecting the introduction of a device called “wearable artificial kidney" which would replace renal transplant in the coming decades.  This has an advantage of avoidance of immunosuprressive medication in post transplant settings and will put an end to the long donor waiting period for CKD patients.”

Key Figures

The Global Burden of Disease project estimated the total burden of HCV due to injecting drug use in 2013 as measured by disability adjusted life years – DALY, including recent and former PWID.

This modeling estimated 39 per cent of HCV burden was due to HCV acquired via injecting drugs.

In the MENA region, in addition to the estimated 300,000 HCV-infected current PWID, there could be as many as 2 million HCV-infected people who acquired the infection through past drug injection but are no longer injecting.

Discussing Gaps

Experts gathered at a recent workshop ‘HCV Screening and Linkage to Care & Substances Users Practical View’ in Dubai, UAE, to discuss gaps and barriers in care models for most at risk population.

“There are still substantial gaps and barriers for PWID to access testing and treatment. At the same time, because they are the most at risk population, their treatment should be a priority if we want to achieve a goal of elimination of the disease,” explained Dr. Huda Al Quraishi, Senior Specialist of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE.

“Namely, if we don’t intervene on time, long-term care following the development of cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease, and liver cancer will add to the existing disease burden.”

Major Strides

The UAE and Kuwait have made major strides in developing interventions that lead towards the elimination of HCV by 2030. To support screening and HCV elimination efforts in the UAE, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced in July 2018 the inclusion of free screening and treatment for Hepatitis C under the basic benefit plan of the Dubai Mandatory Health Insurance Scheme. However, there are still many interventions that can substantially curb the epidemic.

According to Dr. Tarek Abdelgawad, who is the Treatment and Rehabilitation Director at the Abu Dhabi National Rehabilitation Centre, “HCV treatment and care could be delivered in various settings such as hospitals, primary health clinics or drug rehabilitation centers. Experience has shown that multidisciplinary care that offers support for drug dependency, social and psychological services in addition to medical care, have been successful at increasing access to HCV testing and treatment among PWID.”

Development of highly effective direct acting antivirals (DAAs) with efficacy greater than 95 per cent following 8 to 12 weeks treatment have brought significant successes in the elimination of HCV. However, just because a disease is curable, that doesn’t mean that it is defeated if most-at-risk populations, such as PWID are marginalised.

The traditional Kenyan healthcare system as we knew it entailed seeing a traditional healer, herbalist or spiritualist for ailments. If an expectant woman was ready to give birth, then a birth attendant or in modern language a midwife would assist the woman have their baby at home. These people were within reach in the community or villages and would often go to the patient’s home to attend to them.

In the 1970s, contemporary western medicine was adopted through the influence of the World Health Organization (WHO) whose objective was to promote accessible primary care by integrating western medicine with traditional medicine.

Today, the Kenyan Healthcare system operates within three sub-systems namely: the Public Sector that includes public hospitals and clinics in the country, the Commercial Private Sector that includes all private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies and the Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) that include clinics and hospitals that are sponsored and run by the church.

Situation on-ground

With an increase in population, there is a growing demand and need for quality and affordable healthcare services in the country. There is also a growing concern of an increase in the disease burden especially the Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs), cardiovascular diseases and cancers, which are all attributed to lifestyle changes. In this regard, the government is scaling up efforts to increase coverage in terms of access to healthcare as well as efforts to deal with the diseases through preventative interventions and education. Additionally, the health function has since been devolved and is also part of the President’s Big Four Agenda.

With only one out of every five Kenyans having any form of insurance, along with the spiralling costs of healthcare, and the inequality in the healthcare system, the need for solutions that can fix the ailing health sector is nothing short of urgent.

Enter technology

Kenya is known as one of the early adopters and front runners of technology and innovative ICT solutions. With one of the highest mobile Internet penetrations at 91 per cent compared to Africa’s 80 per cent penetration and the Internet penetration currently at 84 per cent, Kenya competes very highly with the rest of the world. This is an immense opportunity to leverage in order to create a value-based system that ensures healthcare is affordable, of the highest quality, patient-centric and convenient. It is under this backdrop that the first online health platform MYDAWA has been built and is operating on with the main objective being promoting better health outcomes for all.

The company is anchored on four pillars namely; privacy for the customers as products have a tamper-proof seal, convenience through its free delivery of medication and other health and wellness products at no extra cost, affordability as a result of cutting the supply chain by purchasing products directly from the manufacturer, which also ensures quality of medication. To also ensure quality, MYDAWA has put in place a unique authentication solution that secures all medicine packs at the production line with tamper-proof seals complete with an authentication code. The customer can scratch off to reveal and send a short code to verify whether the product is genuine.

The MYDAWA solution is beneficial to consumers as they gain the advantage of having increased transparency, convenience and affordability. In addition, it ensures better pharmacovigilance as it tackles the issue of counterfeit drugs/products in the market since the entire supply chain process is tracked and one has the option of authenticating the products.

With the objective of leveraging on technology to accelerate access to Universal Healthcare, MYDAWA has employed the use of Pharmaceutical Technologists (Pharmtechs) who are tasked with delivering medication at the patients’ doorstep. The Pharmtechs also provide counselling services and answer any questions the patient may have on their medication or illness. For patients that suffer from chronic illnesses, their prescriptions can be refilled in time every month or quarter also acting as a reminder to the patient. This increases medication adherence levels (taking all medications correctly) as they are also able to deliver medication that is sorted well, and the patient can get further instruction on how best to take the medication.

To further ease the process for MYDAWA customers, a partnership was formed with an innovative payment processing solutions provider IPay Limited, which allows customers to pay for their prescription, health and wellness products through loyalty points, Mastercard, VISA, MPESA and other mobile money platforms and even directly from your bank account. The partnership with iPay also allows customers to make easy, fast and convenient online and offline payments from one account. This is a move meant to ensure that through leveraging of the fin-tech solutions, today’s tech-savvy and sophisticated customer is catered for. It also ensures that the customer gets positive, meaningful and engaging experiences with the platform all at no extra cost. It also greatly impacts accessibility and affordability aspects of healthcare through innovation.

MYDAWA has leveraged on innovative solutions that impact today’s value-conscious consumer ensuring that all care given is patient-centric, thereby increasing affordability, access and quality of healthcare. Additionally, through the increase in transparency, convenience and affordability, there is better pharmacovigilance as it tackles the issue of counterfeit drugs/products in the market.

The MYDAWA solution fits into the President’s Big Four Agenda and the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda to be achieved by 2020.

MYDAWA recently became the first online pharmacy in Africa and part of the top 4 per cent globally to earn the LegitScript certification that verifies Internet operated pharmacies as safe, credible and trustworthy. In 2018, the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) granted its parent firm ION Kenya; that operates the MYDAWA brand, the first-ever Retail License for an e-retailing pharmacy in Kenya. The company has also just secured a US$3 million funding from Africa Healthcare Master Fund to fuel its expansion in the country. 

With the WHO reporting that 30 per cent of deaths in the UAE are caused by Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), there is an urgent requirement for advanced cardiac facilities in the UAE.

The Cardiac Center of Excellence, which offers comprehensive end-to-end cardiac care and is equipped to facilitate high-risk treatments, is one of the few facilities with both medical and surgical interventions under one roof.

It is also the only private facility with two catheterisation laboratories available.

As Taher Shams, Managing Director at Zulekha Healthcare Group explains:

“Our investments in acquiring the best technologies demonstrates our on-going commitment to strengthening our technology offering, so that we are able to continue to provide the most advanced and best-in-class healthcare services to those in the UAE.

"This comes in line with the UAE government’s Vision 2021 to achieve world-class healthcare, in which technology plays a crucial role.”

Since the inception of the inaugural Open Heart Cardiac Center in 2017 at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah, the facility has successfully accepted and treated 40 high-risk cardiac patients and have now consolidated their capabilities as it gear up to support more cardiac patients looking for expert intervention in cardiac emergencies within the UAE.

According to Dr. Mohammad Ahmad Helmy, who is an Open Heart Surgeon at Zulekha Hospital Group, Zulekha Hospital is seeing over 50 people per day who require minor to major cardiac treatments of some sort.

“This figure highlights the need for essential specialist treatment and Zulekha Healthcare Group’s Cardiac Center of Excellence is contributing positively to this ongoing requirement,” he says. “One can access world-class treatments and care locally and at an affordable price.”

The solution, called Actiste, can be used to measure blood glucose, administer insulin, make notes and set reminders, all with the same device. It also automatically logs all treatment data, so it can be shared via a cellular connection with primary caregivers and family members.

Henrik Norstrom, COO, Brighter AB told Arab Health Magazine: “At Arab Health, we introduced the Actiste diabetes management service, which is aimed at insulin-dependent diabetics, to the UAE market.

“With the device, we have integrated and unified the basic functions to perform the daily routine of a diabetic patient such as the measurement of blood glucose, and the injection of insulin.

"Within the whole service, we added the cellular network and transfer the data, so the user can both visualise it on their mobile phone, and also share that data with their healthcare provider, and also to the healthcare system. This allows for clinics to be able to better administer and prioritise different clients, being able to see in real time the actual performance of their patients, in order to better allocate resources.”

Norstrom highlighted that Actiste is in the process of being rolled out and was introduced in the UAE as a world-first. At Arab Health, two nurses from the Ministry of Health did a demo of the service to visitors.

He added: “We were overwhelmed with the response we received at Arab Health, and it has been very positive from the user perspective."

Ghassan Darwiche, Senior Medical Advisor, Brighter AB stressed: “From a medical perspective, Actiste is filling the gap in the present-day diabetes management. We can do better, but we need the tools to do better, and now we have a service that can actually improve, engage and empower patients, to take more control of their lives while living with diabetes. It also helps the healthcare providers in doing their job in a shorter timeframe.”

Brighter AB started its journey in the UAE about a year ago and six months ago the company created an onshore joint venture with the AFAQ Group, shared Norstrom. Since then the company has been preparing for a user experience pilot with the Ministry of Health so that it can confirm the user experience, get the necessary proof points and roll it out to the wider public as soon as possible.

Norstrom concluded: “The UAE with its 2021 vision of digitilisation and innovation within the healthcare sector is unique in the world. The country’s vision is not only based on the patients but is spread across all sectors in the decision-making process. The UAE is leapfrogging into technology in a way that traditional economies may not be able to do.

“The UAE is the springboard for Actiste in the GCC region. We want to make an impact on the larger volumes or masses of people that are suffering from diabetes initially, and therefore our strategy is also to look at the Asian markets, and the other markets that have the bigger volumes in the diabetes epidemic.”

Brighter wins Swecare Rising Star Award 2019

Brighter was recently awarded the Swecare Rising Star Award 2019 for Actiste. "We are extremely happy to receive this award and look forward to continuing to spread Swedish innovation around the world together with Swecare, an organisation doing a fantastic job for Sweden and Swedish export," said Truls Sjöstedt, Brighter's CEO and founder.

The jury said: “One of the major emerging health challenges that we are currently facing is diabetes, a demanding condition that can lead to serious health complications if poorly handled, resulting in not only personal suffering but also putting an enormous burden on healthcare systems. One of the biggest challenges is getting the patients to follow their treatment recommendations. “2018 was a breakthrough year for Brighter AB, which has developed a unique solution for insulin-treated diabetics; Actiste. It is the world's first solution that gathers all the functions required for the monitoring and treatment of insulin-treated diabetes in a single unit."

Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) is the first educational institution in the UAE to run an organ transplantation programme, in particular for kidneys.

The programme was launched in June 2016 in tandem with the first successful kidney transplant for an Emirati patient, a 29-year-old mother of two. The procedure was conducted by a joint medical team from MBRU and Mediclinic City Hospital.

“Having started the conversation for organ transplants in Dubai, MBRU was extremely honoured to make history and complete the first successful kidney transplant surgery in Dubai in 2016.

“This was done in cooperation with the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, the Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Mediclinic City Hospital, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai Airports, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Dubai Customs, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, among other authorities that made this milestone a reality,” explains Nujood Al Khloofi, Director of Communications and External Relations, MBRU.

The successful kidney transplant marked the launch of the MBRU Transplant Programme, with the aim of saving the lives of patients suffering from organ failure and a specific focus on those with kidney failure.

“We were the first, and to date remain the only, academic institution in the country with such a programme as we continue our mission to advance health in the UAE and the region through an innovative and integrated academic health system that is nationally responsive and globally connected serving individuals and communities,” Al Khloofi adds.

In conjunction with the launch of "Hayat", an online platform that allows individuals to register their willingness to be organ donors by the Ministry of Health and Prevention at the Arab Health Exhibition and Conference 2019, MBRU unveiled the first two videos of multi-organ deceased donation and transplantation in the UAE that took place in 2017. 

The unveiling of the videos highlights the first steps taken in the launch of the national programme for organ transplantation under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Prevention with the participation of various national health authorities, government and private entities with the collaboration of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation. 

The launch of the videos aims to recognise the hard work of the team who saved the lives of several individuals with organ failure. 

The videos highlight the first donation and transplant from a deceased donor in the UAE on July 15, 2017, where the deceased donated five organs, resulting in saving five lives. The second multi-organ donor donation and transplant was carried out in the UAE on September 23, 2017, where four successful transplantations were done that helped save four lives.

“One of our values at MBRU is connectivity and we aim to continue our efforts in bringing the community together towards understanding the importance of this humane act. To date, MBRU has supported numerous organ donation and transplant cases in the country through its participation in the National Transplant Program efforts of the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention. Words cannot justify the life-changing experience for patients who were blessed to receive transplanted organs, and to see them doing better is what keeps us going,” Al Khloofi says.