Now Reading: India crosses 20,000 organ transplants, but donor gap persists
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India crosses 20,000 organ transplants, but donor gap persists
India performed a record 20,138 organ transplants in 2025, a 6.5% increase over the previous year and a fourfold rise from 2013, according to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).…
The Story in Brief
India performed a record 20,138 organ transplants in 2025, a 6.5% increase over the previous year and a fourfold rise from 2013, according to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). The country is now third globally in total transplants after the US and China, and first in living donor transplants.
But the shortage of deceased donors remains critical. While deceased-donor transplants rose from 837 in 2013 to 3,526 in 2025, thousands of patients still die waiting. In Andhra Pradesh alone, 5,839 patients are on the waiting list, The Hindu reports. The state recorded 93 brain-dead donors in 2025, enabling 301 transplants, its highest ever.
The Indian Opinion
The 20,000-transplant milestone is rightly celebrated, but the real story is the stubborn shortage of deceased donors. India's living donor programme is world-leading, yet thousands die each year because families do not consent to donation after brain death. The claim of 'One Nation, One Policy' reforms sounds promising, but the proof will be in the waiting lists. Will the new digital pledge portal and awareness campaigns actually persuade families to say yes when it matters?
Sources (2): timesnownews.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
