NEW DELHI: Over 4.9 lakh Indians have registered to donate organs and tissues after death, with more men pledging their organs as compared to women, the latest government data has shown.
While 2,62,403 men have pledged to donate their organs, as many as 226,309 women have registered themselves as donors till May 2. What is interesting is that in some states, such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Punjab, Mizoram, and Sikkim, women have taken the lead in pledging their organs since the Aadhaar-based verification system was launched on the birthday of PM Narendra Modi on September 17, 2023.
Since the launch, 4,92,355 people in India, the highest in Maharashtra, have pledged their organs after death, according to the data made available by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), an organisation for implementing the National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP), which aims to improve access to organ transplantation.
A deceased donor can save up to eight lives and improve the quality of life of many others. While most people (3,39,583) in India pledged heart donation, 2,94,058 registered for intestine donation. It is followed by the kidney (1,50,191), liver (3,41,038), lungs (3,11,898) and pancreas (2,96,863).