Organ donation is valuable in today’s era, as with the advancement of technology it can save the lives of people. But in Mumbai, more than 4000 people are waiting for transplants. In Mumbai, the Transplantation Coordination Centre (TCC) is responsible for organ transplants.
Sejal Jobanputra, 45, has been receiving dialysis since her initial kidney transplant failed in 2007. She ultimately eliminated her name from the list in 2018 after waiting for a donor for so long. Years of dialysis had a negative impact on her body, and she was no longer healthy enough to get another transplant.
Sejal’s case is not the only one in Mumbai. At present, 4046 people are waiting for organ donations around the city. These people have a big medical history. Around 200 people might get donors by the year-end. Still many on the list will have to continue waiting for their chance.
Lack of organ donation awareness among people is posing to be a big challenge. The first organ transplant was documented 26 years ago.
Among those on the waiting list, 3,408 are in need of kidney transplants, 530 need liver, 61 need heart, 26 need lungs, 14 need pancreas, 2 need small intestines, and 5 need hand transplants.
Here there is a major imbalance between the demand and supply of organ donors and receivers. The city’s population is nearly two crores and records only 50 cadaver donors (deceased individuals whose organs and tissues are donated). In 2019, the city recorded 79 donors. But after the pandemic of COVID, this number too dropped down; only 30 donors were recorded in 2020, and 33 in 2021. In 2022 there was an increase in the number of donors as 49 people donated organs.
In Mumbai, 632 cadaver contributions have been recorded since the city's organ donation policy came into effect in 1997.
A single cadaver donor can save as many as eight lives. Kidney donation will help two patients, whereas dividing a liver will help two more patients. The contribution of two lungs can save two people, while the heart and pancreas can save two more.
In the state, the list of number of people waiting for organs is almost three times the number of people in Mumbai. The doctors stated that there are two major reasons behind this:
Lack of awareness.
Complacency within public hospitals.
"We have made great progress against superstitious notions, but people still hesitate. There is a need to instill awareness from a young age. It can be done through education," said Dr. Bharat Shah, secretary of the ZTCC.
Over 95% of organ transplants take place in pricey private hospitals that are solely open to the wealthy. These hospitals lack social workers and counselors who can convince patients to donate their organs.
Rahul Ahirwar, 24, was the first patient to undergo a hand transplant. He got the transplant done at the civic-run Parel’s KEM Hospital. The cost of his surgery was just INR 2000. “After losing both my arms in an accident, never did I think that I would be able to write again. I didn’t have the money to approach a private hospital,” said Ahiwar.
According to data presented by Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in the Rajya Sabha in March, 49,745 Indians are waiting for organ transplants. In 2022, there were 4,49,760 registered donors and only 15,561 organ transplants took place.
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