Chandigarh 14th in organ transplants

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, December 15

In a significant stride towards advancing organ transplantation, Chandigarh has secured the 14th position in the nation, with 228 transplants in 2022 alone.

Among the other union territories, only Delhi has surpassed Chandigarh with 3,818 transplantations. The data pertaining to “organ transplantations” was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Out of the total 228 transplantations in Chandigarh, live kidney transplants took the lead, accounting for 123 procedures, followed by 78 deceased kidney transplants. Besides, there were 16 liver transplants, a heart transplant and 10 pancreas transplants.

Notably, the total organ transplantations in 2022 reached an all-time high in three years in Chandigarh, with 195 and 120 procedures in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Playing a critical role in the success story is the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, which is designated as the Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) under the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Programme (NOTP), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

The PGIMER’s track record boasts 4,786 kidney transplants (4,215 live; 571 cadaver), 77 liver transplants, eight heart transplants, 41 pancreas transplants and an impressive 6,713 cornea transplants to date.

To address the surging demand for organ transplantations, the PGIMER implemented strategic initiatives, expanding the scope of kidney transplants beyond a single department. The Department of Urology was also pulled in and has been instrumental in this paradigm shift, helping alleviate the mounting waiting list by conducting kidney transplants with the Renal Transplant Department.

The PGIMER was recently honoured with a national award in the ‘UT with the highest number of deceased donors’ category. However, there is still a significant backlog of patients awaiting organ transplantation, with the waiting list swelling up to over 5,500 individuals. Among these patients, approximately 70% are in urgent need of kidney transplants. With a waiting list of 2,200, cornea is next on the list. The waiting list for organ transplantation is a critical challenge, thanks to a lack of donors for both living and deceased transplantations.