Organ donation and transplantation: processes, registries, consent, and restrictions in Saudi Arabia

Organ transplantation is the best and often times the only opportunity for patients with end-stage organ disease to survive. In 1985, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the few Arab countries to have started an organ donation program. The program was later expanded and renamed the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) in 1994. This chapter reviews the literature around organ donation and transplantation and introduces the different types of consent and registries available from different parts of the world as a solution for enhancing the process of donation and increasing organ donation rates. It also explores the organ donation process, the role of the SCOT program, and the social and public factors that influence organ donation in Saudi Arabia