PUNE As many as 1,600 patients are on the recipients’ waiting list for donation of kidneys alone. A drastic drop in organ donations is being registered so far, this year.
Doctors and patients have been wary of accepting organs from cadavers for fear of the Covid infection. This year, there have been 13 donors until June 2021.
In 2018, there were a total of 61 cases of organ donations, and 63 in 2019.
Despite the efforts of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Pune, to raise awareness using social media and an interactive website, lockdown has made it difficult to find organ donors.
“The ongoing pandemic has exacerbated the crisis further, as it instils fear in the minds of people who come forward to donate their organs. Organ donors, as well as receivers, are a bit hesitant due to additional tests whereupon even the smallest speck of a shadow over a lung can cause the organ to be rejected,” said Dr Shailesh Kakade, nephrologist and consultant with Jupiter hospital.
According to Arti Gokhale, central co-ordinator, ZTCC, Pune, “In 2020 from January to December we had 41 organ donors, but this year from January 2021 till today, we have had only 13. This is the impact of the second wave of covid. There is a distinct drop in the number of patients in hospitals. Usually, organ donations come through if it is a traffic accident, or intracranial bleeding or a sudden brain injury,” said Gokhale.
{{/usCountry}}According to Arti Gokhale, central co-ordinator, ZTCC, Pune, “In 2020 from January to December we had 41 organ donors, but this year from January 2021 till today, we have had only 13. This is the impact of the second wave of covid. There is a distinct drop in the number of patients in hospitals. Usually, organ donations come through if it is a traffic accident, or intracranial bleeding or a sudden brain injury,” said Gokhale.
{{/usCountry}}According to ZTCC, there are 1,600 patients waiting for a kidney transplant, 75 for a liver transplant, 50 for heart and lung transplants, and 70 patients in waiting for multi-visceral organs.
Though the figures seem drastic, ZTCC is hopeful that with this unlock, things will improve.
“In February this year, as Covid cases started rising, our transplant programme was put on hold. For the last two weeks we have started the programme again. Norms have been set for transplants with precautions, so that patients don’t get infected by Covid. Covid rates will further go down with vaccination,” Dr SM Ambike, nephrologist, Jehangir Hospital.