Ms. Smeja Paul

The number of cadaver donations in Karnataka is on the rise according to the statistics. Since 2007, Karnataka has done 58 deceased organ donations under the coordination of Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka (ZCCK) for Transplantation (Refer to Figure 1). The ZCCK for transplants is a Government body overlooking the entire transplantation process in the state of Karnataka. An increase in public awareness about the importance of organ donation has led to an increase in the number of cadaver donations. It is also evident that the media and the Government have also realised the importance of the issue and help in creating awareness.

It is seen that there is a huge gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant. According to the list maintained by ZCCK a total of 982 patients are waiting for a transplant. 819 patients are on dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant. 123 are waiting for a liver transplant, 20 are waiting for a heart transplant, 9 are waiting for a lung transplant, 7 are waiting for both a heart and lung transplant, 2 are waiting for both a kidney and pancreas transplant, 2 are waiting for both a kidney and liver transplant and innumerable patients are waiting for a cornea transplant.

Figure 1: Organ Donation Graph in Karnataka