India’s organ transplants have more than tripled over the past decade, reaching 18,378 in 2023, up from 4,990 in 2013. The country now ranks third globally in overall transplants and second in corneal transplants. Key figures include 13,426 kidney transplants and 4,491 liver transplants. Among the States, Telangana accounted for the highest number of deceased donors in the year at 252, followed by both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka at 178, Maharashtra at 148, Gujarat at 146 and Delhi at 66.  The number of transplants to foreigners was recorded at 1,851 with most of them being in Delhi at 1,445.

Despite these advances, the organ donation rate remains under 1 per million, Highlighting the need for increased awareness and improved donation rates, according to a report by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). It calls for stepping up efforts to promote organ donation from deceased persons to take care of the huge organ requirement due to the increasing burden of non-communicable and lifestyle diseases.

Such conditions are leading to a high number of patients suffering from end-stage organ failure disease, the report stated.

On the positive side, the number of deceased-donor transplants has increased from 837 in 2013 to 2,935 in 2023. According to data, the number of kidney transplants in 2023 stood at 13,426 while liver transplants were at 4,491, heart transplants at 221, lung transplants at 197 and pancreas transplants at 27.  Among living donors, the number of females (9,784) was almost double the number of males (5,651) in 2023. However, among deceased donors, males outnumbered females at 844 compared to 255.

 The total number of living donors in 2023 was 15,436 while deceased donors stood at 1,099.

The number of heart transplants increased from 30 in 2013 to 221 in 2023. Heart transplants were higher in 2018 at 241. Tamil Nadu topped the deceased donor transplants at 595 followed by Telangana (546), Karnataka (471), Maharashtra (426) and Gujarat (421) in 2023. Delhi-NCR has the most number of living-donor transplants at 4,275, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,833), Maharashtra (1493), Kerala (1,376) and West Bengal (1,021).

Organs are best donated from brain stem dead persons before the heart stops beating and there are many myths and misconceptions regarding organ donation which need to be taken care of, it said.

Standard Operative Procedures have been drafted, which prescribe that every concerned Ministry will have a nodal officer and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) will coordinate with a nodal officer to facilitate organ transport, it said.

No screening of organs will be done at the airport, the report added.