VIJAYAWADA: As many as 5,839 patients in Andhra Pradesh are struggling for survival, awaiting life-saving organ transplants, according to official figures released by the state Jeevandan initiative as of July 1, 2026.
With the waiting list dominated by patients seeking kidneys (3,715) and livers (2,009), organ donations from brain-dead individuals have emerged as a critical lifeline. Ahead of National Organ Donation Day on August 3, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav appealed to every family across the State to discuss and pledge organ donation.
The Minister announced that a special state-level program will be held in Vizag on Sunday under the aegis of Jeevandan to build widespread public awareness. Detailing the patient waitlist, statistics reveal that 96 individuals are waiting for heart transplants, 15 for lungs, and four for a pancreas.
Demographically, patients with ‘O’ blood group face the highest demand at 2,600, followed by 1,721 in the ‘B’ group, 1,179 in the ‘A’ group, and 339 in the ‘AB’ group.
Andhra Pradesh has made significant strides in deceased organ donation, elevating its national standing to sixth place. The State recorded a steady rise in brain-dead donors from 41 in 2023 to 66 in 2024, touching a record of 93 donors in 2025.
These 93 donations enabled 301 transplant surgeries, marking a milestone in Jeevandan’s history. The momentum has sustained in 2026, with 56 donors registered by July 24.
Furthermore, organ transplant services have been expanded beyond the earlier hubs of Vizag, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam. Networked transplant centres have grown from three to nine, covering Vijayawada, Guntur, Prakasam, Tirupati, Nellore, Kurnool, and Anantapur. Notably, kidney transplants from brain-dead donors in the Vijayawada region rose from eight in 2024 to 42 in 2025.
Clarifying the critical distinction between coma and brain death, the Minister emphasised that while recovery is possible from a coma, brain death is irreversible. A single brain-dead donor can give a new lease of life to up to eight persons.
The government provides Rs 10,000 as financial aid toward funeral expenses for donor families and is exploring measures to honour their sacrifice.
Meanwhile, Jeevandan Chief Transplantation Officer Dr Manmadha Rao assured that organs are allocated through a centralised, transparent digital system based on registration date, medical severity, and tissue matching, eliminating any scope for middlemen.