Spike in cadaver organ donation cases in India

In 2012, organs were retrieved from 130 cadavers, number went up to 800 in 2016

In what can be called as a good news, awareness about organ donation has triggered a spike in the cadaver organ donation cases, with the country witnessing 600 per cent increase in organ donation from deceased donors since 2012.

If in 2012 organs from 130 cadavers were retrieved, the numbers have gone impressively up in 2016, with organs being harvested from 800 cadavers in 2016.

According to the recent figures available with the ministry of health and family welfare, deceased-donor organ retrieval has gone up immensely in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Indore, etc. “There has been about 600 per cent increase in cadaveric organ donation,” a ministry official said.

Even as the Indian Transplant Registry, a nongovernmental initiative by the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, estimate that out of the 21,395 kidneys transplanted in India between 1971 and 2015, only 783 were from cadaver or deceased donors, officials are hopeful. “India’s cadaver donation count has finally started making impressive strides. Issues related to religious misconceptions, poor awareness and attitude of people towards organ donation, insufficient infrastructural facilities and manpower for successful brain death certification, retrieval, transportation, storage and transplantation of organsamong others are to be blamed for the poor organ donation. But the good news is that things are changing,” added the official.

Not very long ago, the organ donation rate estimated for India in 2011 was just 0.32 per million population. In comparison to this, organ donation in Spain was recorded at 35 per million population-highest among all countries. In India, for persons who have a living-related donor, the waiting time is 3-4 months. However, patients who do not have living related donor have to wait for a deceased donor.

The Centre has enacted the Transplantat-ion of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, 2011, with provisions of retrieval centres for retrieval of organs from cadavers donors and registration under the amended Act.