Muscat – Oman has successfully carried out its fourth heart transplant, while organs from a single brain-dead donor were transplanted into four patients, marking another milestone for the country’s expanding organ donation programme.

The Oman Centre for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation said on Saturday the procedures involved close coordination between government and military healthcare institutions, including University Medical City and the Medical City for Military and Security Services.

Dr Noureen bint Yousef Al Balushi, Director of the centre, said the ability to repeat complex transplant procedures within a relatively short period showed that Oman’s organ donation system was becoming more established.

“This is no longer an isolated or exceptional success, but the result of integrated institutional work,” she said.

Dr Noureen informed that the process began with early identification of potential donors and assessment of organ viability before moving to compatibility testing, recipient selection and simultaneous coordination between surgical, intensive care, laboratory, blood bank and transport teams.

She said the donor’s family played a decisive humanitarian role by agreeing to organ donation at a difficult moment, making it possible to give four patients “a new beginning”.

Dr Qasim bin Saleh Al Abri, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the National Heart Centre, said heart transplantation requires a high level of readiness from the moment a suitable donor is identified until removal, transport and implantation.

Dr Al Abri said the fourth operation indicated that Oman’s heart transplant programme is moving beyond its establishment phase towards continuity and accumulated clinical experience.

“True success is not measured by performing a single operation, but by the system’s ability to repeat these complex operations safely and efficiently,” he said.

Dr Amna bint Al Busaidi, Cardiology Consultant at the National Heart Centre at the Royal Hospital, said successive operations were strengthening national expertise and could allow the service to gradually reach more patients.

Officials said Oman has improved detection and reporting of brain-death cases, donor assessment, waiting list management, compatibility testing and training of transplant teams.

From January 1 to July 28 this year, Oman carried out 35 organ transplants – 23 kidney, nine liver and three heart procedures. Of these, 15 kidney and six liver transplants involved living donors, while the remainder came from brain-dead donors.

Fifty corneal transplants were also performed during the same period.

Health officials said demand for organs nevertheless continues to exceed supply, underlining the need for more donors, stronger reporting of brain death cases and greater public awareness of organ donation.