Oman performs fourth heart transplant, saves four lives from one donor

Muscat: Oman has successfully performed its fourth heart transplant, marking a significant milestone in the country’s growing national organ-transplant programme.The Omani Center for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation also successfully transplanted four organs from a patient declared brain dead, helping save the lives of four patients. The achievement reflects the growing coordination between Oman’s government, military and security health institutions and the increasing capabilities of national medical teams in handling complex transplant procedures.Dr Noreen bint Yousef al Balushi, Director of the Omani Center for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, said the repeated success within a short period demonstrated that Oman’s organ-donation and transplantation system had moved into a more mature and organised phase.She said the achievement was the result of integrated institutional work, beginning with the early identification of potential donors and accurate diagnosis of brain death, followed by donor assessment, organ preservation and rapid coordination between retrieval and transplant teams.The process involves intensive-care units, laboratories, blood banks, logistics teams and specialists in heart, liver and kidney transplantation, ensuring that the maximum possible benefit is obtained from each donation.Dr Qasim bin Saleh Al-Abri, consultant cardiac surgeon at the National Center for Heart Medicine and Surgery, said heart transplantation was among the most complex specialised procedures and required a high level of readiness throughout the entire process.He said the fourth successful heart transplant showed that Oman’s national programme was moving beyond its establishment phase towards continuity and the accumulation of experience.Dr Amna bint Al-Busaidi, cardiology consultant at the National Heart Center at the Royal Hospital, said every successful transplant adds to national expertise and strengthens confidence in the country’s ability to provide advanced transplant services.She noted that Oman had made progress in brain-death reporting, intensive-care readiness, donor assessment, organ preservation, laboratory testing, waiting-list management and the training of specialised transplant teams.Dr Walid bin Amer Al-Badi, consultant cardiac surgeon at the Royal Hospital, said repeated operations had improved coordination, decision-making and the ability of medical teams to anticipate and manage challenges.He stressed that sustaining progress would require continued investment in specialised personnel, training, infrastructure and public awareness, particularly to increase organ donation.According to the centre, 35 organ transplants were performed in Oman between January 1 and July 28, 2026. These included 23 kidney transplants, nine liver transplants and three heart transplants. In addition, 50 corneal transplants were performed during the same period.Of the kidney transplants, 15 were from living donors and eight from brain-dead donors. Six of the liver transplants involved living donors and three involved brain-dead donors, while all three heart transplants were from brain-dead donors.Officials said the demand for organs remains greater than availability and called for stronger reporting of brain-death cases, trained donation coordinators, enhanced intensive-care capacity and greater community awareness.The centre said every registered donor and every family that consents to donation can potentially help save several lives, making organ donation an important pillar of Oman’s efforts to develop a sustainable national transplant programme.