Article 17 of the Saudi Organ Donation Law
المادة 17 من نظام التبرع بالأعضاء البشرية
The Center, with health facilities, follows donors' medical conditions for life, provided they reside in the Kingdom, may provide their medical needs within its resources, and follows up the adequacy of the service to recipients.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يتابع المركز -بالتعاون مع المنشآت الصحية- حالات المتبرعين الطبية مدى الحياة، بشرط إقامتهم في المملكة؛ وللمركز تقديم جميع الاحتياجات الطبية اللازمة لهم وفق موارده المالية المتاحة.
2- يتولى المركز متابعة مدى كفاية تقديم الخدمة للمتبرَع لهم في شأن عمليات الزراعة والرعاية الطبية اللازمة لهم في المنشآت الصحية التي تجرى متابعتهم فيها.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 17 explained in plain English
This article is concerned with the period after donation, and gives the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation two tasks:
First: caring for donors.
- The Center, with health facilities, follows donors' medical conditions for life.
- The condition is that the donor resides in the Kingdom.
- The Center may provide all the medical needs they require, but only within its available financial resources. The text makes providing these needs a power of the Center within its resources, while the follow-up itself is a duty.
Second: following up recipients. The Center follows up the adequacy of the service provided to patients who received the organs, in the transplant operations and the medical care required, within the health facilities where they are followed.
This article reassures the donor that he will not be left alone after the operation, and protects the patient from poor service. It comes after Article 16 on updating data on facilities' needs, and is followed by Article 18 on procedural forms.
Practical example
Fahd donated a kidney to his brother some years ago and lives in Qassim. The Center, with the hospital, continues to follow his medical condition throughout his life, and may provide him with the medical needs he requires within its available financial resources.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 17 of the Saudi Organ Donation Law
Does the Center follow the donor's health after the operation?
Yes. The Center follows donors' medical conditions for life, provided they reside in the Kingdom.
Does the Center bear the cost of the donor's treatment?
The Center may provide all the medical needs donors require, within its available financial resources.
Does the Center monitor the service provided to the organ recipient?
Yes. The Center follows up the adequacy of the service and medical care provided to recipients.
More articles on The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation
- Article 7
The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation determines whether a donated organ is suitable for transplant, in coordination with health facilities inside the Kingdom or, when needed, abroad, and may use medical committees.
يتولى المركز -بالتنسيق مع المنشآت الصحية التي يحددها داخل المملكة، أو خارجها عند الحاجة- مهمة تقرير مدى صلاحية العضو البشري المتبرع به المراد زراعته في جسم المت
- Article 16
The Center keeps information on health facilities' needs up to date, follows publications on research from local, regional and international bodies, uses academic institutions, and takes international agreements into account.
يتابع المركز تحديث جميع المعلومات والبيانات الخاصة باحتياجات المنشآت الصحية، ومتابعة ما تصدره الجهات المحلية والإقليمية والدولية ذات الصلة بمجال البحث، والاستعا
- Article 18
The Center prepares the procedural forms for organ transplant programs and the unified donation form, whose data the regulations set, and supplies them to health facilities once the Director General approves them.
1- يُعد المركز ما يلزم من نماذج إجرائية للعمل بها في برامج زراعة الأعضاء البشرية، ويعد كذلك النموذج الموحد الخاص بالتبرع، على أن تحدد اللائحة البيانات اللازم تو
- Article 19
The Center prepares, in coordination with health facilities, national waiting lists for organ transplantation for patients with end-stage organ failure, and sets the priorities of entitlement and the follow-up and documentation of donation in a detailed procedures manual.
على المركز -بعد التنسيق مع المنشآت الصحية التي يحددها- إعداد قوائم انتظار وطنية لزراعة الأعضاء البشرية لمرضى الفشل العضوي النهائي، وتحديد أولويات عمليات استحقاق
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.