The UAE has set a new world record for the highest number of online organ donation registrations within a one-hour timeframe. On Wednesday, January 31, more than 4,000 residents signed up for “Hayat,” the National Programme for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues, which was established in September 2020 under the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).
Before the online drive, there were 21,357 UAE residents from various nationalities registered with Hayat, Khaleej Times reported. In just one hour, 4,010 more donors joined, bringing the total to 25,367 by 3 pm on Wednesday, officially establishing a new world record for online donor registration.
Dr. Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli, Chairman of Hayat, expressed, “Hayat is a program for everybody and from everybody. It is a symbol of solidarity within the community that you care for everyone, especially those suffering from organ failure.” He emphasized the importance of this initiative as a way to spread a positive culture of solidarity.
Dr. Al Obaidli highlighted that all UAE residents aged 18 and above can register for the Hayat program with just an Emirates ID as the required document. He noted, “Only a small percentage of those who registered will become donors, but signing up for Hayat is a gesture of spreading positive culture and solidarity.”
Nursing students Andleeb Syed Muhammad Yousuf and Aida Muhammad Haneef Gulf personally pledged for organ donation, urging their peers and the youth to register for the Hayat program. The Ministry of Health and Prevention offers two ways to actively participate in the initiative – becoming a Hayat ambassador or a Hayat volunteer. Ambassadors play a role in educating and encouraging the community to support the program, while volunteers promote awareness about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing chronic diseases.
Prakasini Marar and Souad Jamaluddin have been actively promoting Hayat in various WhatsApp groups and noted, “So far, based on our estimates, more than 4,000 UAE-based nurses have already registered on the platform.”
According to the MoHAP, Hayat is now recognized as the world’s fastest-growing organ donation drive, achieving a remarkable 41.7% growth over the last five years, as confirmed by the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP). Furthermore, the UAE has conducted over 460 transplants since 2017, with 111 of these operations taking place in 2023 alone.