Abraham Accords: UAE patient to get a kidney from Israeli woman

Supplied photo

Abu Dhabi - Shani Markowitz Manshar, 39, is slated to undergo surgery this Wednesday to donate one of her kidneys.

By Michal Michelle Divon in Tel Aviv

Published: Sun 25 Jul 2021, 9:56 PM

Last updated: Mon 26 Jul 2021, 6:10 AM

The historic Abraham Accords will mark another milestone this Wednesday when an Israeli woman donates a kidney to a patient in the UAE.

Shani Markowitz Manshar, 39, is slated to undergo surgery this Wednesday to donate one of her kidneys, giving a second chance at life to a patient in Abu Dhabi as part of a wider organ donation programme between the two countries.

“There will be more organ transplants and medical tourism like this coming down the line in the next couple of months,” says Steve Walz, global media spokesperson for Sheba Medical Center who spoke exclusively with Khaleej Times.

The procedure is a three-way kidney exchange as part of the same donor programme between the two countries. Manshar’s mother is also in need of a kidney transplant and will be hospitalised at Sheba for her own procedure this week, while a patient at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa will receive a transplant from a donor in the UAE.

Following Wednesday’s three-hour operation which will be filmed in part according to Sheba’s spokesperson, Manshar’s kidney will be flown directly to Abu Dhabi making history as the first Israeli organ transplant to an Abu Dhabi resident.

“We are now able to do things that weren’t possible before thanks to the Abraham Accords, and helping citizens in the Gulf is a top priority for us,” says Walz.

On June 20, a delegation from Sheba Hospital arrived in the UAE to further cooperation in the medical field. Sheba signed an MOU with both Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Dubai Health Authority, and medical tourism was very much one of the agreed priorities.

As part of the wider cooperation, Sheba hospital will also offer treatment to 300 patients from the UAE’s security forces, and will launch a joint training programme for Emirati medical personnel. The most recent collaboration is held in partnership with Dubai-based Al Tadawi Medical Center.

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords on September 15, multiple agreements have been signed in the fields of health, aviation, tourism, food security, agriculture, and defense among others.

michal@khaleejtimes.com