In 2024, the Nagpur Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) registered 40 cadaveric donors who gave new lease of life to severals in death. At the end of 2025, the number has gone down to 15-- 25 less than that of last year. Equal number of fall of deceased donors registered in Maharashtra too. Last year Maharashtra witnessed 175 cadeveric donations but this year the number has gone down to 153. In 2017, the number of donations was 18, in 2018 also Nagpur registered 18 cases while in 2019, it rose to 20. The number dwindled in 2020 and 2021 during pandemic. The year 2022 began with cadaveric organ donation in the first week of January itself. Later, various hospitals in Nagpur reported to Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC), about brain-dead cases. But, despite counselling, the relatives said ‘no’ to donations. In 2022 the number too gone down. In 2023, the number went up to 35 and in 2024, it rose to 40.

 

 

Dr Sanjay Kolte, President of ZTCC while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ admitted that the registration of deceased donors gone down this year. “We face one major issue of counseling. Convincing people at that time is very difficult. The time is very different so nobody can force. Unless relatives agree, we can’t do anything. More awareness campaign is needed to increase cadaveric organ donations. At some places the organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) too is taking place despite the brain-dead ones. If people agree to it more patients can be given new lease of life” Usually ZTCC witnesses waiting list of patients for kidney between 250 and 300, for liver around 50 to 75. But this year the waiting list increased to over 1,000 for kidney, about 500 for liver. Diliip Deshmukh, the 69-year old liver recipient from Gujarat had been to Nagpur had said that people have myths. They feel the bodies of their kins get disfigured. Surprisingly, Mumbai, Pune are not facing the issue of less cadaveric donations. In some hospitals in Nagpur witnessed change in management, some registered doctors shifted to some other hospitals, a few hospitals are not able to conduct procedures as the process of registration is taking long time. In fact Maharashtra Government is promoting organ donation. It has declared fund for the last rites of the donor to be given to his or her relatives. People still have not come out of the thought of attachment where they feel bad for the removal of the organ of their kins.