After COVID lull, organ donors up four-fold in Tamil Nadu, thanks to State honours

CHENNAI: After going through a rough spot in the COVID years, cadaver organ transplants have picked up in the state again and saw all-time high numbers this year. In 2024, the state saw 1,484 organ transplantations, with 266 cadaver organ donors.

The Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) officials say that the announcement of State honours for organ donors has significantly encouraged more people to donate organs voluntarily.

The 1,484 transplants this year include 853 major organs and 631 minor organs and tissues.

Kidney transplants occupied the top spot with 452 donations. This was followed by 208 liver transplants, 94 heart transplants, and 87 lung transplants.

The 2024 tally is a significant jump from 2023, when 178 cadaver organ donors helped aid 1,000 transplants.

The COVID-19 pandemic made a substantial dent in the organ donation numbers, the lowest being recorded in 2020 when only 55 cadaver donors aided 368 transplants.

“We tried to encourage organ donations in TN by several campaigns and awareness programmes as there were many misconceptions and cultural barriers,” said a senior official from TRANSTAN.

The numbers improved gradually to 60 donations and 378 transplants in 2021 and increased to 156 organ donors and 878 transplants in 2022.

As many as 2,053 organ donors have donated their organs since the first organ transplantation was performed in the state in 2008. A total of 12,104 organ transplantations have been performed since then.

Dr N Gopalakrishnan, member-secretary, TRANSTAN, attributes the notable jump in the number of donors to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s announcement in September 2022 to give State honours to donors while performing their last rites.

“So far, 326 State honours have been given since the announcement,” said Dr N Gopalakrishnan.

The move has improved organ donation, especially in government hospitals, where 253 transplants were undertaken in 2023, compared to 151 in 2022.

However, it is to be noted that the waitlist for organs also remains high, with an active waitlist of 7,257 people for Kidneys, 505 patients waiting for liver, 57 for lungs, and 69 patients on the waitlist for heart. As many as 23 people await a hand transplant, six people require heart and lungs, and three patients need a pancreas.

The officials from the state health department say they would continue to encourage organ donation in Tamil Nadu and ensure transparency in the process. They express hope as the number of pledges has also seen a surge, which can possibly meet the waitlist as the kin of organ donors are also volunteering to donate.