With over three lakh patients on the waiting list and at least 20 people dying every day while waiting for an organ, India's organ donor shortage, particularly deceased donations, has taken a heavy toll. According to the Health Ministry's own figures, the number of donors (including deceased) increased from 6,916 in 2014 to around 16,041 by 2022.

A recent case from Haryana brings to light both the urgency of the situation and the life-changing power of living organ donation.

Narender, a 35-year-old resident of Punhana village in Mewat, Haryana was diagnosed with kidney failure in June 2025 and placed on dialysis. With no deceased donor organ readily available, his chances at survival were slim. However, he was fortunate to have a donor in his family. His sister, Kavita Devi selflessly donated one of her kidneys to save her brother’s life further strengthening their bond ahead of Raksha Bandhan – a festival that celebrates the protective bond between siblings.

India's low organ donation percentage could be attributed to spiritual beliefs about life after death, a lack of education about organ donation, and incorrect information regarding the illicit organ trafficking,” said Dr Rajiv Kumar Sethia, Director and Head in department of Urology and kidney Transplant, Asian Hospital, Faridabad. This shows the need of educating the public and medical professionals alike to build trust and improve organ donation rates.

Every year, thousands of individuals die while awaiting a transplant because of lack of appropriate donor. Organ donors are in higher demand now than ever before.

Every year, approximately 500,000 people die in India due to organ shortages, 200,000 die from liver illness, 50,000 from heart disease, and 150,000 individuals wait for a kidney transplant but only 5,000 receive one.

With a population of 1.4 billion people, the national number is 0.8 organ donors per million population (PMP), far below the global average. In contrast, countries such as Singapore, Belgium, and Spain have adopted a model of ‘presumed consent’, wherein citizens are considered as organ donors unless they opt out. Their donation rates range from 20 to 40 PMP (per million people). Even countries that use a 'family consent' approach, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, report considerably higher rates than India.

Giving the gift of life

Receiving an organ can be a life-changing experience for a patient awaiting transplantation. Every year, India faces a demand for nearly 5 lakh organs, yet only 2 to 3 per cent of this need is met, leading to thousands of deaths due to organ failure.

Vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and lungs can be transplanted into patients whose organs are failing. It permits many people to resume their usual lives. For others, a cornea or tissue transplant means the ability to see again, or the restoration of mobility and pain relief.

Organ donation awareness in India has been continuously increasing, yet there is still a large gap between the need for transplants and the availability of donated organs. Several campaigns have been launched to raise awareness of organ donation and dispel myths about the process.

Addressing the gap

Raising awareness about organ donation is the need of the hour. Academic institutions as well as NGOs should support organ donation as a way to educate and raise public knowledge about the practice at an early age. Every hospital should have counsellors who can persuade the patient's family to give authorization for deceased/ cadaveric organ donations whenever any family member is brain dead in ICU because of any medical conditions.

The issue of organ transplant waiting lists will be solved if all hospitals report and register cases of brain death. This will also help to design and implement the state-by-state centralized donor list.