There will be more than 15,436 living organ donations in 2023, with female donors outnumbering males
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, last year 9,784 women donated organs while 5,651 men donated organs.
There were 16,542 organ donations in 2023, with the majority of living donors being women. A living organ donor is when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ to another person for transplant. The most common living organ donations are kidneys, but part of a liver can also be donated.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 9,784 women donated organs last year, while 5,651 men did. One transgender person also contributed. Overall, there will be 15,436 liver donors in 2023.
Overall, the number of organ transplants from living and deceased donors reached a record high of 18,378.
The data showed that the number of deceased male donors is higher, with 844 men donating organs while 255 were women. Overall, 13,426 kidney transplants took place from January to December, followed by 4,491 liver transplants and 221 heart transplants.
Telangana leads the country in organ donation with 252 deceased donors, followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with 178 each.
In terms of kidney transplant cases, Delhi topped the list with 2,576 cases, while Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reported 1,633 and 1,305 cases respectively.
Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of heart transplant cases at 70 last year.
Despite growing awareness campaigns over the past few years, organ donation rates remain low, with less than one donation per million people. In 2013, the number of organ donations was 4,990, representing significant progress.
According to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) report, a living donor after the age of 18 years or above can donate only one kidney or a part of his liver.
A brain stem deceased donor of any age can donate 8 vital organs like heart, 2 lungs, liver, 2 kidneys, pancreas and small intestine and various tissues like cornea, bone, skin and heart valves etc.
The total number of organ transplants performed per year in the country is projected to increase from 4,990 in 2013 to 17,168 in 2023. “However, the organ donation rate in our country is still less than 1 per million population,” the Health Ministry said.
Organ donation is best done from brain stem dead individuals before the heart stops beating. The report said that many myths and misconceptions about organ donation need to be dispelled.
