In Delhi and NCR, there are thousands of people who are waiting for organ donations to get back to a normal, healthy life. But most of them are not getting any luckier due to the huge demand-supply gap, and the already bleak prospect has been further compounded by the raging Covid-19 pandemic.
“In the pandemic situation, we need special campaigns to increase awareness levels among the donors and recipients,” said Dr. Anant Kumar, Chairman- Urology, Uro-Oncology Robotic and Kidney Transplant from Max Hospital, Saket in Delhi. He further points out that organ donation in Delhi has not made any remarkable progress post-2015.
“The pandemic only adds insult to injury,” he opined. In 2015, Delhi accounted for 1725 kidney, 529 liver, and 6 heart transplants. The numbers have been falling. In 2019, the year prior to the country’s first lockdown, Delhi accounted for 1416 kidney, 358 liver and 2 heart transplants.
“So, it won’t be right to blame Covid-19 alone for the poor show. But there is no denying the fact that the pandemic further dragged down the already dismal numbers,” said Dr. Kumar who has been performing kidney transplants during the pandemic period following strictly the covid protocols laid by the hospital and NOTTO.
According to National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) data, between April to June this year, the number of living liver and kidney transplants in Delhi stood at 50 and 30 respectively. Compare this figure to 100-120 and 250 respectively in the first quarter of the year.
“It is safe to do organ transplantation in this pandemic time. The government has come out with a strict protocol. So, there is no need to worry. Patients have a better life prospect with transplant and more morbidity and mortality if they remain on dialysis. Even deceased donation is allowed under a stringent protocol to avoid transmission of infection. Yet organ donation is affected, primarily due to fear. We need to run special programs to educate the donors and recipients. Once the Covid-19 restrictions are removed, things should look up,” hoped Dr. Kumar.
Even if the situation improves, Delhi is highly unlikely to surpass the 2015 numbers this year. Delhi would be able to set a new record next year provided there is an all-out effort and sustained awareness campaign.
