‘5L lives on hold’: Experts call for urgent reforms in India’s transplant system

Raipur: Medical experts at AIIMS Raipur have called for a comprehensive national effort to boost organ donation in India, stressing the need for public awareness, policy reforms, and hospital preparedness. The discussion took place during a guest lecture on "How to Increase Organ Donation and Xenotransplantation in India," held at AIIMS Raipur on Saturday.The session was led by Dr Dipankar Bhowmik, Professor and Head, Department of Nephrology, AIIMS New Delhi. Dr Bhowmik stressed the urgent need to enhance the organ donation rate and explored the emerging field of xenotransplantation.He pointed out that nearly 500,000 people in India require organ transplants every year. He noted that India's deceased donor rate remains one of the lowest globally at about 0.5 per million population, in sharp contrast to countries like Spain (48 pmp) and the USA. While India ranks third in total organ transplantation, he explained, the majority of transplants are from living donors.He emphasised the necessity to strengthen deceased organ donation through public awareness campaigns, media engagement, and education in schools and colleges.He further called for improved hospital infrastructure, training for brain death declaration, and providing grief counselling. He also suggested recognising donors and involving religious and community leaders to promote this cause.Discussing xenotransplantation—the use of animal organs for human transplantation—he explained that technological breakthroughs like CRISPR-Cas gene editing have revived global interest in this field. He cited the world's first pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant, performed at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2024, as a development that has opened new possibilities.Dr Bhowmik, however, cautioned that India must address ethical, biosafety, and regulatory challenges before adopting this approach.Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (retd), Executive Director and CEO, AIIMS Raipur, stated that the institute has already completed 68 kidney and 91 corneal transplants. He also highlighted that AIIMS Raipur has inaugurated a dedicated kidney transplant ward and is now upgrading facilities for heart and bone marrow transplants.