UAE authorities extended quantity of cases for transplantation

16.05.2017 - 16:04 #UAE, #Issue, #Transplantation, #law

Before this law, doctors did not have authority to declare a brain-dead patient dead

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has issued a new decree on declaration of death that will facilitate organ transplantation from cadavers, officials said on Monday.

The Decree No 550 of 2017, issued by Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, specifically covers three main provisions, mainly death resulting from cardiac-respiratory arrest, death resulting from complete loss of brain functions and paediatric brain death.

This complements the articles included in the Federal Health Law No 5 of 2016 which includes provisions for cadaver organ transplantation excluding stem cells, blood cells and bone marrow transplants.

Before this law, doctors did not have authority to declare a brain-dead patient dead and did not have authority to switch off life support systems. The decree was drawn up in consultation with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. The decree was made in response to the urgent need to enact legislation on the declaration of death in a bid to protect hospitals and enable doctors to stop the suffering of brain-dead patients. The question of clinical death is a medical and legal problem, while the issue of organ transplants has raised vital ethical issues such as the clear definition of death and the timing and manner of authorising the transplant procedures.

Read this article in russian.

Source: GulfNews