Over 4,000 Patients Died Waiting for Organ Transplants in Telangana Since 2013

Official data from Telangana's Jeevandan organ donation programme spanning 2013 to 2026 reveals that 4,106 patients—representing one in every five registered individuals—died while awaiting organ transplants in the state. Despite Telangana earning national recognition in 2024 and 2025 for recording the highest cadaver organ donation rate in the country, a severe shortage of donated organs continues to leave thousands without life-saving surgeries.

According to Jeevandan records, a total of 19,386 patients registered for organ transplants during this 13-year period. While 5,307 patients underwent successful transplants, 9,413 people remain on the waiting list. The vast majority of deaths occurred among patients waiting for liver (2,240) and kidney (1,537) transplants, followed by lungs (229), heart (96), and pancreas (4).

The gap between demand and supply remains stark across the state. Around 7,500 to 8,000 organ transplants are performed in Telangana every year, yet annual deceased organ donations remain below 1,000, peaking at 763 in 2025. Between 2013 and 2026, the programme received 1,724 kidney, 1,724 liver, 506 lung, and 258 heart donations.

Jeevandan officials attributed the persistent shortfall largely to limited participation from medical institutions. Currently, Telangana has four government hospitals and 37 corporate hospitals registered under Jeevandan. A senior official stated that only four or five private hospitals consistently contribute to organ donation, while contributions from government hospitals remain near zero.

Officials also pointed to challenges in identifying and declaring brain-dead patients. Many hospitals hesitate to declare brain death due to a lack of trained personnel, legal apprehensions, or missing counselling teams. Additionally, persuading families of brain-dead patients to consent to donation remains difficult due to emotional hesitation, myths, and misconceptions.

To bridge the gap, Jeevandan officials called for stricter enforcement of rules requiring hospitals to submit data on live transplants, noting that several corporate hospitals have failed to submit required data for over a decade. Medical experts, including Dr Kiran Madhala of the Telangana Teaching Doctors Association and Jeevandan nodal officer Dr Sree Bhushan Raju, recommended setting up mandatory organ retrieval centres in hospitals with 100 or more beds, improving ICU staff training, and launching targeted public awareness campaigns.