Organ Transplantation in the Kingdom

Organ Transplantation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia refers to the surgical operations performed by the Kingdom in its specialized hospitals for patients in need of organ transplants. The Kingdom began organ transplant operations by conducting the first lung transplant surgery at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah Governorate in 1991, followed by four more operations until 1994. In 1996, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh began performing organ transplant operations, conducting the first double lung transplant for a patient with end-stage respiratory failure in 1998. Since 2001, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah has also been performing lung transplants. Organ donation in the Kingdom is available to both citizens and residents.

The Kingdom approved the regulation of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation in 2012. The regulation defined the center's missions and specializations, including registering and following up on patients with organ failure, transplant recipients, and organ donors. Additionally, it set the necessary procedures for this, prepared standards, specifications, conditions, and controls for organ transplantation in the Kingdom, and conducted scientific research related to organ transplantation and organ failure.

The Kingdom issued the Human Organ Donation Law in 2021, regulating human organ donation or the assignment of organ donation, organ transfer, retraction of donation, conducting organ transfer operations, obligations of health facilities, conditions prohibiting organ donation, examination of human organs, maintaining the dignity and protection of the donor from humiliation or disfigurement, verification of death for the purpose of organ donation, material or in-kind compensation, prohibitions for health facilities, follow-up of medical conditions of donors, controls, and requirements for granting privileges to donors or heirs of the deceased, as well as violations, penalties, and detection of violations.

The regulation of organ transplantation in the Kingdom was preceded by the issuance of a religious fatwa (Islamic ruling) regarding organ transfer. The Council of Senior Scholars issued a decision in 1982 permitting the transfer of an organ or part of it from a deceased person to a Muslim if needed, ensuring that no harm is caused in the removal, and if there is a high likelihood of successful transplantation. It also permitted a living person to donate an organ or part of it to a Muslim in need.