Awareness pays, 1.4L organ pledges in 4 months in new digital registry

Mumbai: Telangana, which has consistently led in terms of cadaver donation, was again at the top with 200 organ donations in 2023 as India raced past 1,000 such generous gifts of life. It was followed by Karnataka (178), Tamil Nadu (176), Maharashtra (149) and Gujarat (146). Mumbai, too, managed a high of 50 cadaver donations last year.
The term “cadaver donors” describes donations of solid organs by patients who have been declared brain-dead that are then transplanted into patients struggling with end-stage organ failure (brain death is the norm in most countries, but solid organ donations is also possible after cardiac death).About 26 years after the first “well protocolised” kidney transplant in 1997, the Manipur government-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences conducted the region’s first transplant. A senior Central health official said Manipur’s first organ donation took place on Aug 2, 2023, when the wife and mother of 42-year-old Sarungbam Kemmedy Singh donated his organs at JNIMS, Imphal. The second took place on Oct 11.
Experts believe the Union government’s focus on cadaveric transplants has made a difference. Dr Sunil Shroff of NGO Mohan Foundation, which works closely with the Centre and various state governments, said more states are now focusing on transplants. PM Modi focused on cadaveric organ donation in his 99th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on March 26, 2023. “The endorsement by the prime minister definitely worked, with many public hospitals, administrators and state health departments focusing on cadaver donations,” Dr Shroff said.
NOTTO director Anil Kumar said there is “more willingness and awareness” about organ donation. “Consider the new digital registry in which people have to carry out an Aadhar-verified pledge. In four months since we started this registry, 1.4 lakh have pledged their organs,” he said.
He said government had taken up organ donation “in a health campaign mode,” regularly organising programmes and seminars to ensure “every medical and non-medical college are sensitised.”
Meanwhile, while India started hand transplants in 2015 after many other countries, it is now ahead of others. In the September 2023 edition of the ‘Indian Transplant’ newsletter, Dr Subramania Iyer, plastic surgeon from Amrita Hospital who conducted the country’s first hand transplant, wrote 50 hands for 29 patients had been completed in India since 2015. Globally, 170 hand transplants have been conducted in 18 countries. “Since its inception in 1999, USA topped the list (32 patients, 46 hands) but India has overtaken it both in terms of number of recipients as well as number of hands transplanted,” he said.
Experts said there is a long way to go as thousands are waitlisted for years. “There are still some states that haven’t carried out a transplant. The south is performing well, but donations have to pick up in the north,” said a doctor. He said while the National Capital Region has more ICU beds than the whole of north India, donations in NCR are around 20 or so. “AIIMS Delhi had 14 donations as against 19 last year, but it isn’t enough,” he said.