Mumbai saw its 42nd cadaver donation of this year on Tuesday night, surpassing 2014's total. Though a reason to rejoice, health experts say the programme is still at a nascent stage and there is a long way to go.
According to the experts, the city has a high rate of road and rail deaths, which can yield a good number of potential donors every day. But their families are not even approached by the counsellors. According to the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC), 12 people are still waiting for a heart, 2,600 for kidney, 150 for liver and two for lungs in the city.
A complete lack of awareness about cadaver donations and a shamelessly callous attitude of the hospitals authorised to harvest organs from brain-dead patients have been blamed. This year, of the total 42 cadaver donations, only three were done in civic-run hospitals.
ZTCC general secretary Dr Sujata Patwardhan agreed that though the number of cadaver donations has surpassed last year's figure, the expectations were more. "We are not very happy with the cadaver donations this year. We could have done better," she said. She added that while they are in the process of analysing the lacunae in cadaver donations, public hospitals need to pick up and have more donations.
"Notifications of brain-dead patients have increased in public hospitals, which is a good sign. We had as many as 57 brain-dead notifications, but only three cadaver donations took place," said Dr Patwardhan. She added that in most cases, the cadaver donor was not suitable for organ transplant.
ZTCC president Dr Gustad Daver said it should be compulsory for the public hospitals to contribute in the cadaver donation program. "We are hoping to double the cadaver donation number In 2016, especially if the public hospitals and non-transplant organ retrieval centres (NTORCs) start contributing," said Dr Daver.
Directorate of Health Services assistant director Dr Gauri Rathore said efforts were being made to increase the number of cadaver donations in public hospitals. "We are planning workshops to increase the brain-dead patients' identification in the ICU. We will also be conducting training for doctors for organ retrieval. It is a very skillful job and, if not done properly, the organ goes wasted," said Dr Rathore.
As transplant is the only cure for patients with organ failure, health experts feel brain death should be recognised and donations should be promoted. "It is a welcome sign that we have crossed last year's milestone. But we were expecting that this year we will double the last year's figures," said Dr Rajesh Kumar, nephrologist at the Dr LH Hiranandani hospital.
He said public hospitals should start contributing to the programme and the government should think of providing some incentive to the transplant coordinators, especially in the public sector. Chennai manages over 80 cadaver donors every year. The trend of donations has always been uneven in the city. In 2012, there were 27 cadaver donations, while in 2013 there were 24. In 2014, the city saw 41 cadaver donations, which benefited 107 people
Last donation of the year
The 42nd cadaver donor was admitted in Saifee hospital on December 27 after he suffered from brain haemorrhage. According to the hospital officials, the 65-year-old was unconscious when he was brought in and was declared brain-dead on December 29. The family agreed to donate his liver and two kidneys.
