UAE to expand organ transplant services to face, hand and uterus

The UAE is preparing to widen its organ and tissue transplant services to include the intestine, uterus and vascularised composite tissues such as the face, hand and arm, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced, as part of the next phase of its donation and transplantation programme. The ministry also plans to set up dedicated organ donation units within hospitals, staffed by trained doctors and nurses whose job will be to identify potential donors, support donors' families and coordinate every step of the donation process under the National Programme for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues, “Hayat.” Officials say these units will help hospitals spot donation opportunities earlier and manage procedures in a more organised way, ultimately increasing the number of organs available and cutting waiting times for patients who need life-saving transplants. Alongside the new units, the programme's strategic priorities include expanding donation after circulatory death (DCD), a pathway that broadens the pool of potential donors beyond those who are brain-dead. Tissue donation will also grow to cover corneas, bones, skin and heart valves, in addition to the planned move into intestine, uterus and composite tissue transplants such as face, hand and arm procedures. The announcement on the World Organ Donation Day on August 13 comes as MoHAP reveals that the Hayat programme has already helped save more than 1,500 patients since it launched in 2017 through to June 2026, with 549 deceased donors enabling 1,780 organ transplants across the country. The number of deceased donors rose by 35.5 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, while transplant procedures increased by 31 per cent over the same period.