Donor organs: Demand, supply gap a challenge
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are over 50,000 persons across the country who are on the waiting list for donor organs.
Published Date – 12:45 AM Thu – 1 Jun 23
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are over 50,000 persons across the country who are on the waiting list for donor organs.
has about 12500 patients Telangana Those who are on the waiting list for organ donor organs from brain dead persons under Jeevan Daan Organ Donation initiative.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), over 50,000 persons are on the waiting list for donor organs across the country, while the supply of donor organs is in the hundreds. The gap between the demand and supply of donor organs and the challenges in organ donation and transplantation are universal and not only limited to individual states.
When it comes to organ donation from brain dead victims, Telangana is the number one state in the country to register maximum organ retrieval from brain dead victims. Last year, Jivandan It had its best year ever (since its launch in 2013) by managing to retrieve 716 organs and tissues from 194 brain dead persons and allotting them to patients in need.
Overall, over the years, there has been an increase in the number of organs retrieved from brain dead victims and transplanted across India. Based on data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), in 2013, a total of 4,990 organ transplants were performed and in 2022, transplant surgeries are expected to increase to 15,561, a jump of over 200 per cent in almost a year. decade.
Despite significant increase/improvement in organ donation, the fact remains that the waiting list of registered patients and unregistered patients (those who have not registered with the state-level organ donation initiatives) across the country runs into lakhs, while the availability is in lakhs. in the hundreds.
Even if a patient on the waiting list receives a donor organ, complications and challenges remain after organ transplantation, as they are at risk of organ rejection and compromised immunity due to the heavy load of immunosuppressants . Despite undergoing an organ transplant, the quality of life always remains a question mark, as patients need to be extra cautious of the body rejecting the donor organ.
What are the options left for individuals?
Without hesitation, public health experts and superspeciality doctors advocate prevention as better than cure, rather than experience the trauma of waiting for a failed organ to be treated or for a dead donor organ. The damage to organs can be limited by adopting major changes in lifestyle, eating and sleeping habits.
