DOH: 2,150 Abu Dhabi transplant patients put donor units on hospital agenda

Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) said 2,150 patients have received organ transplants in Abu Dhabi since 2017, putting donor-unit readiness on the near-term agenda for hospital boards.

The operational signal for CEOs, COOs and medical directors is concentration. DOH said transplant work in Abu Dhabi is anchored by accredited providers with national backing, while Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) plans dedicated organ donation units inside hospitals in the next phase of Hayat.

Abu Dhabi volume jumped in 2025

DOH marked World Organ Donation Day on 13 August 2026 by reporting 631 transplant procedures across Abu Dhabi in 2025, up from 290 in 2024. That is an increase of about 118%, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

"Behind every transplant is a person waiting for a new chance at life," said Dr Rashed Alsuwaidi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre.

DOH named Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as the Centre of Excellence for Adult Multi-Organ Transplants and said Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Burjeel Medical City and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City add Abu Dhabi capacity. The same 13 August 2026 update said Abu Dhabi has worked with Spain's Donation and Transplantation Institute, U.S. transplant programmes and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) on deceased donation and kidney transplant standards.

For hospital operators, the commercial point is specific. Transplant capability needs ICU depth, surgical subspecialists, histocompatibility testing, infection control and long follow-up. Those assets can support high-acuity referrals in nephrology, hepatology, cardiology and oncology, but they also raise staffing, indemnity and bed-management questions.

MOHAP sets the national benchmark

MOHAP said Hayat had enabled 1,780 organ transplants across the UAE through June 2026, supported by 549 deceased donors, according to Gulf News. The national total included 924 kidney, 502 liver, 181 lung, 151 heart and 22 pancreas transplants.

• 13.95 deceased donors per million people, cited by MOHAP as the highest GCC rate.
• 35.5% growth in deceased donors in 2025 versus 2024.
• 31% growth in transplant procedures in 2025 versus 2024.
• More than 4,000 UAE patients with chronic kidney failure waiting for a transplant.
• More than 10,000 healthcare professionals trained in organ donation.

MOHAP said the UAE network has nine accredited transplant centres. Abu Dhabi providers include Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Burjeel Medical City; Dubai providers include Dubai Hospital, Al Jalila Children's Hospital, Mediclinic and King's College Hospital London Dubai; Sharjah providers include Al Qassimi Hospital and Medcare Hospital.

Donor units are the next test

The next Hayat phase includes hospital-based organ donation units, donation after circulatory death and tissue donation covering corneas, bones, skin and heart valves, according to MOHAP. MOHAP also signalled planned expansion into intestine, uterus, face, hand and arm transplants after June 2026.

Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2023 is the legal base for allocation, donor and recipient protection, living donation and paired donation. Ministerial Decision No. 91 of 2026 adds donor recognition and support, including medical insurance for living donors, travel and accommodation support near treating hospitals, recovery support and time off work.

The takeaway for COOs is the donor unit. Hospitals that want to participate will need trained donor coordinators, ICU protocols, consent workflows, family-support processes and registry connectivity with Hayat and emirate-level systems. CFOs should model transplant as a high-cost service line with downstream demand in dialysis substitution, immunology, ICU and rehabilitation.