Qatar’s Doha Festival City has partnered with Hamad Medical Corporation to host an organ donation drive.
The drive comes as part of the mall’s #FestivalCares programme, which seeks to raise shoppers’ awareness of various humanitarian and environmental causes.
A booth staffing members of the Hamad Medical Corporation’s organ donation centre is available by the square node on the mall’s ground floor, where visitors can ask questions and learn more about organ donation.
Shoppers can also collect brochures about organ donation to share with others.
“At Doha Festival City, we continue to support local health initiatives as part of our commitment to the community in Qatar,” said Robert Hall, general manager of the mall.
“We are proud of our continued partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation and are delighted to provide a platform for promoting health awareness and facilitate drives that support saving lives in Qatar.
“We encourage people to visit the booths and learn more about the organ donation to make an informed decision on registering as an organ donor.”
Visitors are also given the opportunity to register for organ donation within Qatar if interested.
“At the Doha Festival City booth, our highly trained multicultural team educators help inform the public about the great impact of organ donation on the health of the community,” said Dr Riadh Fadhil, director of Qatar Organ Donation Centre.
“Our educators provide them the opportunity to register as an organ donor after life and provide them of a donor card if they wish.
“An organ transplant can be a life-saving procedure and can significantly improve the quality of life for someone with chronic organic failure. These life-saving organs come from deceased donors who have pledged during their lifetime to give their organs to someone in need. A deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives – whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved the whole mankind (Quran 5-32).
“Having high-profile support like Doha Festival City will further ensure Qatar will become self-sufficient in organ donation. We would like to thank Doha Festival City for their commitment.”
The organ drive follows Doha Festival City’s partnership with Qatar Charity earlier this month, which has called for shoppers’ cooperation in providing urgent relief aid to Somalia in light of the country’s drought which has led to famine and the displacement of many.
As part of the Stop the Famine of Somalia campaign, the shopping centre and organisation are collecting donations in the form of non-perishable food and non-food items.
Qatar charity will donate food baskets, non-food items and portable water tanks to those in need in Somalia.
The mall houses a collection area where shoppers can donate essential items, as well as fundraising boxes for financial donations.
Doha Festival City also partnered with the charity earlier this year to hold a flash mob performance to raise awareness for Syrian refugees.
The mall and its visitors donated over 500 boxes of essential Ramadan food items.
Doha Festival City promises to continually partner with government and local organisations to support campaigns that raise cultural, environmental, health and humanitarian awareness.
“Our #FestivalCares programme supports humanitarian initiatives that alleviate suffering through providing a platform for spreading awareness and collecting aid,” Mr Hall added.
