Hyderabad: For two consecutive years — 2024 and 2025 — Telangana’s Jeevandan programme earned national recognition, including awards from the Centre and the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), for recording the highest cadaver organ donation rate in the country.But official Jeevandan data accessed by TOI, covering 2013 to 2026, shows that one in every five patients registered for an organ transplant died while waiting for one.According to records, 19,386 patients registered for organ transplants in Telangana during this period, of whom at least 4,106 died. While 5,307 underwent successful transplants — roughly one in four registered patients — as many as 9,413 are still on the waiting list.The gap is also reflected in the annual transplant to donation ratio. Around 7,500 to 8,000 organ transplants are performed in the state every year, even as annual organ donations remain below 1,000. The highest number of donations was recorded in 2025, at 763.Incidentally, most of those who died over the past 13 years were waiting for five key organs — liver (2,240), kidney (1,537), lungs (229), heart (96) and pancreas (4). This is despite significant numbers of these organs being donated. Between 2013 and 2026, the Jeevandan programme received 1,724 kidney, 1,724 liver, 506 lung and 258 heart donations – among the highest across categories.So, why does the gap persist?A senior Jeevandan official attributed it to a lack of participation from both govt and private hospitals.“These five are the organs we need the most for transplants. But it is tough to meet patients’ requirements since only four or five private hospitals in Telangana consistently contribute to organ donation. Govt hospitals’ contribution is next to zero. In comparison, a state like Tamil Nadu has around 120 private hospitals extending support,” the official said.Currently, Telangana has four govt hospitals and 37 corporate hospitals registered under the Jeevandan programme.Another Jeevandan official said the challenge lies in the identification and declaration of brain-dead patients.“Many hospitals hesitate to declare a patient brain-dead due to a lack of trained staff, legal apprehensions or the absence of counselling teams. Hence, many cases go unreported,” the official said.They also pointed out that not a single relative of an organ transplant recipient has so far pledged to donate organs.“When an accident victim is declared brain-dead, it often becomes very difficult to persuade the family to consent to organ donation because of myths, misconceptions and emotional hesitation. But even those who benefit directly from transplants are not necessarily becoming advocates and spreading awareness,” the official added.What needs to be done?Jeevandan officials called for stricter implementation of the rule making it mandatory for all hospitals to submit data on live organ transplants, including details of donors, recipients, follow-up and long-term outcomes.“Despite reminders from NOTTO, many hospitals aren’t following it. Several corporate hospitals have not submitted data for the past 10 to 12 years, including on kidney, liver, lung, heart and cornea transplants,” a senior Jeevandan official said.Doctors also recommended setting up mandatory organ retrieval centres in all hospitals with 100 or more beds, including govt medical colleges.“Better ICU staff training, clear protocols and coordination between hospitals, transplant coordinators and Jeevandan could reduce delays and waiting lists,” said Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary general, Telangana teaching doctors association.Dr Bandari Rajkumar, member, healthcare reforms doctors association, suggested that awareness campaigns go beyond generic messaging and involve schools, colleges, religious institutions, community leaders and NGOs.“Also crucial is greater public participation. Many potential donors are lost because families are not counselled in time or remain unaware that one donor can save multiple lives,” said Dr Sree Bhushan Raju, nodal officer, Jeevandan. He suggested using social media more extensively to spread awareness.Dr N Vani, DME Telangana, said that more awareness will be created for the families “waiting for a phonecall for an organ.”Current status of organ donation in TAnnual donations rose from just 41 in 2013 to 205 in 2025, a five-fold increase, with 127 donors recorded in 2026 so far. Over the past 13 years, kidneys have accounted for the largest share of donations (1,724), followed by livers (1,724), corneas (1,607) and lungs (506); 258 hearts have also been donated. Overall, the data shows a strong and sustained rise in deceased organ donation in Telangana, although the dip in some years shows that donations can fluctuate.GFX – Jeevandan data (2013 – 2026) – Source: State Jeevandan programmeOrgan Registrations Transplantations ExpiredKidney 9,074 2,805 (30.9%) 1,537 (16.9%)Liver 8,668 1,724 (19.9%) 2,240 (25.8%)Heart 572 258 (45.1%) 96 (16.8%)Lungs 1,030 506 (49.1%) 229 (22.2%)Pancreas 42 14 (33.3%) 4 (9.5%)Total 19,386 5,307 (27.4%) 4,106 (21.2%)
