One in Five Telangana Organ Transplant Patients Died Waiting, Jeevandan Data Shows

HYDERABAD — Official data from Telangana's Jeevandan programme covering 2013 to 2026 reveals that one in every five patients registered for an organ transplant died while waiting for a donor.

According to records, 19,386 patients registered for organ transplants in Telangana during this 13-year period, of whom at least 4,106 died before receiving a donor organ. Only 5,307 registered patients—roughly one in four—underwent successful transplants, while 9,413 remain on the waiting list.

The findings come despite Telangana receiving national recognition from the Centre and the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) in 2024 and 2025 for recording the highest cadaver organ donation rate in the country.

A significant gap persists between transplant demand and organ donations. Around 7,500 to 8,000 organ transplants are performed in the state annually, but yearly donations remain under 1,000. The highest annual donation figure was recorded in 2025, with 763 donations.

Most patients who died over the past 13 years were waiting for five key organs: 2,240 for a liver, 1,537 for a kidney, 229 for lungs, 96 for a heart, and 4 for a pancreas. Between 2013 and 2026, the Jeevandan programme received 1,724 kidney, 1,724 liver, 506 lung, and 258 heart donations.

Ahead of World Organ Donation Day on August 13, a Jeevandan official attributed the shortage to limited hospital participation. Out of four government hospitals and 37 corporate hospitals registered under Jeevandan in Telangana, only four or five private hospitals consistently contribute to donations, while government hospital contributions remain near zero.

Donations remain low even at major public facilities in Hyderabad like NIMS, Osmania General Hospital, and Gandhi Hospital, despite their dedicated trauma blocks treating road accident victims. Officials stated that hospitals often hesitate to declare patients brain dead due to legal concerns, a lack of trained staff, and the absence of counselling teams.

To address the deficit, Dr Bandari Rajkumar from the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association suggested extending awareness campaigns to schools, colleges, and religious institutions. Dr Sree Bhushan Raju, nodal officer for Jeevandan, emphasised the critical role of timely family counselling, while Director of Medical Education Dr N Vani stated that further awareness will be created for families waiting for organs.