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U.P. registers 2K organ donors in 5 months
Currently, the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is the only government hospital in the state capital that has made the process of donating an organ free of cost for donors or donors’ families, while King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) are still in the process of doing the same.
Uttar Pradesh has seen a rise in voluntary organ donor registrations, securing the eighth spot in the country as of January 2025. The state now boasts over 6,500 registered organ donors, a significant increase from 4,500 recorded in August 2024, marking an addition of more than 2,000 registrations in just five months, according to the national organ and tissue transplant organisation (NOTTO), ministry of health and family welfare.
Currently, the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is the only government hospital in the state capital that has made the process of donating an organ free of cost for donors or donors’ families, while King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) are still in the process of doing the same.
Among the top states, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu lead the rankings, with U.P. following closely behind. Key districts in U.P. contributing to this rise include Agra leading with 964, Lucknow with 424, Gautam Buddha Nagar with 376, and Ghaziabad, Kanpur Nagar, and Meerut following behind. On Saturday (January 11) alone, U.P. recorded 12 registrations by 5 pm, highest since January 1, 2025 recorded in a day.
Reportedly, NOTTO’s data on completed transplant surgeries is available only up to 2020, with efforts underway to create a more accurate and updated database. According to the 2020 figures, U.P. recorded 52 liver transplants and 237 kidney transplants.
However, Dr RK Dhiman, SGPGIMS director, highlighted the growing need for organ transplants in the state. “At any given time, at least 50,000 people in U.P. require liver or kidney transplants, but only a small fraction manage to receive them,” he said.
Dr Rajesh Harshvardhan, head of the state organ and tissue transplant organisation (SOTTO) in U.P., explained the types of organ donors: voluntary donors, brain stem death donors, and deceased donors, where family consent is required. He pointed out that the slow rise in organ donations is largely due to a lack of awareness.
Globally, countries like Sweden and Denmark have made organ donation mandatory after death, while others, including Spain and Austria, provide an opt-out option. In 2022, India ranked third in the world for organ donation and transplantation, following the United States and China, according to the global observatory on donation and transplantation.
