Karnataka has seen almost a two-fold rise in cadaveric organ donations in the first quarter this year compared to the corresponding period last year. While 25 donations were recorded from January till May end in 2021, the State has already seen 45 this year till May 13. This includes a donation by a 97-year-old male donor in the city.
With three back-to-back cadaveric organ donations on a single day on Wednesday, 14 donations have been recorded in the last one month alone.
Steady rise
Although cadaveric organ donations had almost come to a halt during the pandemic, there has been a steady rise in the last few months, especially after organ donations by celebrities.
Jeevasarthakathe, the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), which is the nodal agency that facilitates cadaver organ donations, recorded 35 donations in 2020, retrieving 167 organs and tissues (including corneas and heart valves). In 2021, 70 cadaveric donations were recorded, retrieving 284 organs and tissues. Likewise, in 2019 as many as 105 cadaveric donations were facilitated through Jeevasarthakathe (wherein 511 organs and tissues were retrieved).
Authorities from Jeevasarthakathe said the three donations were all from young donors. The first donation happened at BGS Apollo in Mysuru where a 28-year-old daily wage labourer was declared brain dead. He had epilepsy and fell down in his house following seizures. His vital organs - liver, left kidney and heart valves - were transported to hospitals in Mysuru and Bengaluru, including the State-run Institute of Nephro Urology and Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences.
Pregnant wife’s gesture
Another case is of a 32-year-old field technician at Namdhari Seeds Pvt. Ltd., who suffered a head injury after falling from his bike (he was riding without a helmet). He was initially admitted to Bharath Kempanna hospital and later shifted to Sparsh Hospital in R.R. Nagar. He was on a ventilator for two days and declared brain dead on May 11. Following consent by his pregnant wife, his vital organs were harvested and donated for use in various hospitals.
The third donor — a 33-year-old male security guard who also suffered a severe head injury after he was hit by a car (he was walking with his bicycle) near Dabaspet — was shifted to Manipal Hospital, Whitefield after Kanwa Sri Sai Hospital on May 6. He was declared brain dead on May 11 and his family consented for donation of his vital organs. His skin has also been donated to Victoria Hospital’s skin bank.
Last month, for the first time, three green corridors were created on a single day in Mangaluru and Bengaluru to transport organs that gave a new lease of life to many people. In fact, donated lungs in a hospital in Bengaluru were transported to KIMS, Secundrabad.
Families’ reluctance
Lijamol Joseph, Jeevasarthakathe Chief Transplant Coordinator, awareness on organ donations has increased from time to time. “However, there is still some kind of reluctance by family members to give consent for donations. This year, till May 13, we missed eight such donors. Although they were declared brain dead, the families did not consent for organ donations. It is important to have awareness campaigns on organ donations on a continuous basis,” she said.
Demand-supply gap
Although there has been a steady rise in the number of donations, the number of patients in need of organ transplantation is also increasing. With as many as 5,309 patients waiting for various organ transplants in Karnataka (including 4,065 for kidneys and 1,069 for liver) as of May 13, the demand-supply gap in organ transplantation in the State is only widening, according to doctors.
