NEW DELHI: Delhi saw a drop of more than 50 per cent in organ donations from brain-dead patients in 2018 as city hospitals reported merely 19 cases as compared to 45 last year. Leave alone Maharashtra (132), Tamil Nadu (137), Telangana (167), and Andhra Pradesh (45), the national capital lags far behind even the neighbouring Union Territory of Chandigarh (35).
The statistics remain dismal even as the perpetual problem of shortage of organs is leading to an ever-increasing demand-supply gap and scores of people die waiting for organ transplants. Other states also saw a drop in organ donations, with the exception of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Delhi fared better than Karnataka, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh, where one, seven, and one donation, respectively, were reported this year.
India reports around 1.3 lakh road accident deaths each year, and 70 per cent of the victims are declared brain dead, and they are potential organ donors. But the organs of most of them are not donated due to reasons ranging from lack of awareness, among doctors as well as families, to religious beliefs, and, sometimes, police intervention.
According to data from the National Organ Transplant and Tissue Organisation (NOTTO), only 8,000 kidney transplants are done as against a demand for 200,000 annually. Similarly, around 50,000 people need liver transplants and 30,000 need heart transplants, as against the availability of 3,000 livers and 100 hearts.
The NOTTO is the nodal networking agency which coordinates the procurement, allocation, and distribution of organs in India.“While there is a lack of awareness among the general public, there is also a lack of knowledge among doctors regarding brain stem deaths. There are some guidelines laid down to diagnose and declare brain deaths, but doctors keep waiting for cardiac death. The organs are not viable after the heart stops functioning,” said a NOTTO official. A big reason for Delhi faring poorly is that while private hospitals and those under the Central government conduct transplants, hospitals under the Delhi government do not have organ retrieval centres.