Qatar is well-positioned to offer some of the world’s most advanced cardiac procedures. This includes a heart transplant programme at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
HMC’s Heart Hospital provides services comparable to those offered by the most prestigious cardiac centres globally. Experts who played a key role in Qatar’s first heart transplant and the development of related services shared insights into this milestone.
A senior consultant cardiothoracic and heart transplant surgeon at the Heart Hospital, Dr. Ali Kindawi, shared key insights into the recent development of the heart transplant programme in Qatar. Appointed in 2019 specifically to initiate heart transplant surgeries, Dr. Kindawi said that the programme faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they successfully performed the first heart transplant in early 2025.
“We did the first heart transplant and, in my opinion, this is the only one [procedure] that was missing in the Heart Hospital,” he said. He emphasised that Qatar is now fully equipped to offer some of the most advanced cardiac procedures.
Heart transplantation is a highly complex procedure. It requires collaboration between multiple medical teams to ensure appropriate patient selection. Optimal management of pre- and post-operative care is also necessary. Only some heart centres are authorised to perform it.
Dr. Kindawi highlighted the comprehensive and structured approach that was undertaken to make this milestone possible in Qatar. Over the years, the Heart Hospital developed and trained a specialised local transplant team. “This surgery [was] done by a local team from the Heart Hospital,” he said.
He also shared that the entire team underwent rigorous training. This included a one-week hands-on programme at the Cambridge Heart Transplant Center in the UK. The team also conducted simulation surgeries to prepare for real cases.
The transplant was carried out by a large team. This team included skilled cardiac surgeons, cardiologists specialising in heart failure, anaesthesia and intensive care teams, and interventional cardiac catheterisation experts. Nurses, infectious diseases specialists, nephrology, pathology, rehabilitation, psychiatry, and social workers were also involved.
The 42-year-old heart recipient had been in the hospital for three months on continuous intravenous medication and mechanical support. Discussing the surgical preparation, Dr. Kindawi highlighted that extensive physical, psychological, and medical assessments were required.
That patient has since undergone a successful transplant and is now living a normal life. “He’s doing very well and enjoying his life in a normal way,” Dr. Kindawi added.
With advanced infrastructure, growing donor awareness, and a committed medical team, “the heart transplantation future in Qatar is fantastic,” said Dr. Kindawi.
Reflecting on his career, Dr. Kindawi described performing Qatar’s first heart transplant as the most fulfilling moment. “This is the proudest time in my life,” he said. He had led and trained a team from scratch to perform one of the most complex surgical procedures in modern medicine.
Even with big improvements in treatments for heart failure, some patients don’t get better with regular care. In these cases, patients suffering from end-stage heart failure are the primary candidates for transplants.
The Heart Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic has been offering services since 2012. It accounts for close to 9,000 visits in the span of a year.
Director of Heart Failure Clinics at HMC, Dr. Amr Badr, who is instrumental in opening the clinics, said, “We started the clinics with those only got like weakness in the heart muscle and treat them with medication. We aim to improve the strength of the heart.”
While many patients responded positively to medication, a significant portion did not. For those patients, the team turned to mechanical support devices, such as heart pumps. These act as a temporary solution—“a bridge to make life going on until we get a heart.”
Realising the complexity of treating advanced heart failure, Dr. Badr emphasised the importance of collaboration. “We built the heart failure team, which is now in many clinics. We have so many, 10 consultants.”
This team eventually grew to include surgeons, immunologists, pathologists, and rehabilitation experts. The culmination of years of preparation led to a milestone achievement in 2025—Qatar’s first heart transplant.
Although the first transplant was done locally recently, Dr. Badr has followed over 25 heart transplant patients who received their surgeries in the United States.
“I followed them up now for 13 years, and all of them are doing very well.” He stressed that post-operative care is as crucial as the surgery itself.
“When you transplant a heart, you need to give medication to prevent the immune system from rejecting the new organ,” Dr. Badr said.
The care involves continuous follow-up, frequent blood tests, and careful drug monitoring to prevent rejection.
Familial heart failure is another area the clinic actively investigates. The clinic also runs a dedicated genetic screening service twice a week. Identifying at-risk family members early can help prevent severe complications later.
When asked about the prevalence of cardiac conditions in Qatar, the experts expressed concern about the high rate of heart disease, especially among young people. They said that many are affected by serious heart conditions due to poor lifestyle habits, smoking, and stress.
