‘Mumbai witnesses 300% rise in organ donations since 2009’

The number of organ donations in Mumbai has witnessed a 300% rise over a decade. In 2009, the city recorded only 20 donations, whereas, in 2019, the number increased to 79.

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This is an important leap, as it has facilitated retrieval of more than 1,100 organs during the decade, states data from the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Mumbai. “With growing awareness, there has been a rise in people opting to donate organs of their loved ones. Along with living donations, there has been a rapid rise in the cases of cadaver donations,” said Dr SK Mathur, president of ZTCC.

In 2019, the city recorded the highest number of kidney and liver donations in the past decade. At the beginning of the decade, only 36 kidneys were retrieved, which increased to 121 last year. In the same period, six livers were donated, which increased to 68 in 2019. In 2009, the city recorded zero heart and lung donations, which have increased to 21 and eight respectively, in the last 10 years. However, since 2017, cases of heart retrieval have plunged by 51%. In 2017, 43 hearts were donated, which decreased to 21 last year. “On average, a patient needs to wait for over three years for a kidney on the cadaver list. Given our country’s population, and even if there is a 50% increase in the donor list, it will make a huge impact on the number of lives we can save through organ transplant,” said Dr Rushi Deshpande, director, nephrology academic, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre.

According to experts, one donor can save as many as 50 people. “Once, a donor is identified, the volunteers counsel the family members for donation. There is a need to spread awareness among patients who come to the civic-run hospitals, which can help in saving more lives,” Dr Vijay Surase, consultant interventional cardiologist at Jupiter Hospital.