Brain-dead Indian saves nine Saudi lives

In an extraordinary life-saving gesture, family of a brain-dead Indian expatriate in Saudi Arabia has donated his organs to save the lives of nine Saudis who were in urgent need of organ transplantation.

The organs of the brain-dead Indian, whose identity has so far not been revealed, were removed at a hospital in Riyadh and donated to patients in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the Okaz newspaper said. The details of the organs donated were also not revealed.

One of the beneficiaries was a woman in Jeddah who needed a lung transplant to survive since she was suffering from lung fibrosis.

Ali Al-Oufi, the woman's husband, said his wife had been ill for eight years and doctors had decided to seek an organ for transplant one month ago.

"Since then we had been waiting for a donor," he said. "May Allah reward him," he added.

Yaser Katto'ah, organ transplant coordinator at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, said the operation of the woman had been threatened with cancellation but fortunately it was successful.