Article 19 of the Saudi Organ Donation Law
المادة 19 من نظام التبرع بالأعضاء البشرية
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على المركز -بعد التنسيق مع المنشآت الصحية التي يحددها- إعداد قوائم انتظار وطنية لزراعة الأعضاء البشرية لمرضى الفشل العضوي النهائي، وتحديد أولويات عمليات استحقاق زراعة الأعضاء وكيفية متابعة عمليات التبرع بالأعضاء البشرية وتوثيقها ضمن دليل إجراءات مفصل وقواعد واضحة.
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 19 explained in plain English
This article addresses an important question for patients: how is it determined who receives a donated organ first? It entrusts this to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, which, after coordinating with the health facilities it designates, undertakes:
- Preparing national waiting lists for organ transplantation for patients with end-stage organ failure.
- Setting the priorities of entitlement for organ transplantation.
- Determining how donation operations are followed up and documented.
All of this must be done within a detailed procedures manual and clear rules; the aim is fairness and transparency among patients, so that priority is not based on favoritism.
The text does not state the priority criteria themselves, such as severity of condition or waiting time; these are set by the procedures manual the Center prepares and should not be assumed. A person who wants to know their position on the list or its criteria should refer to the treating facility or the Center.
It is followed by Article 20, which regulates the manual of privileges and incentive rewards for donors.
Practical example
Abdullah in Hail suffers from end-stage kidney failure and is on dialysis. His name is registered on the national waiting list prepared by the Center, and his turn to receive a kidney is determined under the clear priority rules contained in the procedures manual.
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 19 of the Saudi Organ Donation Law
Who prepares organ transplant waiting lists?
The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation prepares them after coordinating with the health facilities it designates.
Who benefits from the national waiting lists?
Patients with end-stage organ failure who need an organ transplant.
How is priority for receiving an organ determined?
The Center sets the priorities of entitlement within a detailed procedures manual and clear rules.
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 17
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.
1- يتابع المركز -بالتعاون مع المنشآت الصحية- حالات المتبرعين الطبية مدى الحياة، بشرط إقامتهم في المملكة؛ وللمركز تقديم جميع الاحتياجات الطبية اللازمة لهم وفق مو
- 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
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.