Solid organ transplantation medicine in Arab countries: A Narrative Review Focused on Ethical Aspects

Khalid Bel’eed-Akkari; Khadija Hafidh; Issam Hajjaji; Salem Beshyah; Elmahdi Elkhammas

doi:10.4103/ijmbs.ijmbs_16_21

Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2021; 13(01): 3-13
DOI: 10.4103/ijmbs.ijmbs_16_21

Review Article

Solid organ transplantation medicine in Arab countries: A Narrative Review Focused on Ethical Aspects

Authors

Khalid Bel’eed-Akkari

¹Multi-Organ Transplant Center, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam
Khadija Hafidh

²Department of Medicine, Dubai Medical College, Dubai

³Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Rashid Hospital, DHA, Dubai
Issam Hajjaji

⁴National Centre for Diabetes

⁵Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli
Salem Beshyah

²Department of Medicine, Dubai Medical College, Dubai

⁶The Endocrinology Clinic, Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital, Abu Dhabi
Elmahdi Elkhammas

⁷Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Abstract

Introduction: Ethical issues have been at the center of transplantation medicine for the past 60 years. Arab countries are not without ethical concerns with living donations as the dominant type of organ source. There is no comprehensive review of the ethical consideration evolvement. This narrative review aims to examine the English medical literature over the past 25 years. Materials and Methods: This is a narrative review of the international literature from two online databases (PubMed and Scopus). The combined search term “Ethics and Transplantation” was coupled with the individual names of the countries of the Arab countries. Relevant literature was narrated in a concise thematic account. Results: The themes that emerged from the review process included global concern on transplantation ethics that touched on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Some reports on transplantation practice status in the MENA region address clinical practice, organization, and ethical considerations. Organ-specific reports focused on renal and liver transplantation. Several other researchers addressed the knowledge and attitudes of health-care professionals of transplantation and posttransplantation care. The ethics of transplantation medicine has focused on the donation and financially motivated provision of organs (mainly kidneys). A few authors have underscored the implications of the Istanbul declaration on the prevention of trafficking of human organs to the practice of transplant medicine. Being a Muslim-majority region, several authors addressed the ethical and medicolegal aspects of transplantation from an Islamic perspective. Conclusions: Ethical issues in transplantation are evolving in Arab countries. They are mostly related to religious and cultural backgrounds. A broader dialog between the medical community, Islamic scholars, and legislators must continue to align concepts such as brain death and donor compensation. Furthermore, a concerted effort is required to inform the public and further the transplant agenda.

Key-words:

Arab countries - ethics - Islamic - kidney - liver - medico-legal - middle east - North Africa - organ donation - organ transplantation - review

Full Text

References

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