ABU DHABI, UAE – Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, and US-based Eversight, a non-profit, partnered to establish the UAE’s first eye and tissue bank.
The pact will lead to the creation, development and operation of a comprehensive and seamless eye transplantation framework in the UAE.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of DoH and Erik Hellier, Global Director, Development at Eversight.
Chairman of DoH Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed and Global Development Director at Eversight Carrie Wolverton were present on the occasion.
Through this strategic collaboration, DoH and Eversight will set the building blocks across three phases which include program design, implementation and management.
In its early stages, both entities will focus on implementing the necessary arrangements for the eye and tissue bank – Abu Dhabi to serve as an importer for corneas and other eye-related tissues into the region.
In addition to integrating the eye and tissue banking program into the UAE’s National Program for Organ Donation and Transplantation.
Eversight will develop a comprehensive medical framework to standardize and operate procedures on all clinical functions within the eye and tissue bank in accordance with international best practices.
Dr. Al Kaabi said, “Under the directives of our wise leadership, Abu Dhabi continues to partner with leading international bodies to elevate its national healthcare operations across all fronts.”
He said, “We are proud to have partnered with Eversight to establish yet another impactful program that contributes to maintaining and enhancing lives in the UAE and beyond.”
He added, “Through this partnership, we aim to further improve healthcare outcomes and facilitate quick and seamless operations for all patients in need of eye-tissue transplantation in the UAE.”
Al Kaabi said, “We encourage all community members to register their consent to donate organs and tissues post-mortem.”
He added, “While we work limitlessly to reiterate Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for healthcare, we empower our community to partake in the journey to excellence through noble and sentimental actions as this.”
Erik Hellier said, “Our vision for the future is to expand our reach, connect more effectively with all communities and provide a life full of sight to anyone in need.”
Hellier said, “Our vision is a world without blindness. This partnership is an enormous step towards that vision. This is the highlight of my 17 years in eye banking and we are very excited for the future.”