The recent analysis of the figures from the transplant registry and its annual report shows an interesting trend in Tamil Nadu. Over the last five years there has been a four-fold increase in the deceased donors in India and it has risen from a donation rate of 0.16 per million population in 2012 to 0.8 per million population in 2016. Over the last three years what we have seen is that the living donor kidney transplantation in Tamil Nadu has plateaued whereas the deceased donation kidney transplantation numbers are rising slowly every year as shown in the figure. The graph below very clearly shows this trend as the gap between the two types of transplants is narrowing. What this means is if this current trend continues, in the next three years the deceased donation numbers will cross the living donations.

Tamil Nadu has maintained its lead position in terms of the number of deceased donor transplants in India since 1995 when the transplant law was first passed in the state and it accepted brain stem death for organ donation. In the last three years it has officially received awards for the best state in deceased donation from NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) during the annual celebration of organ donation day at Delhi as it has had the highest number of deceased organ donors as shown in the table. The increasing number of deceased donors has meant a rise in the number of patients benefitting from such transplants. Hospitals that do not generate their own deceased donors too have benefitted from the ‘common pool’ waiting list for kidneys.

Tamil Nadu Network for Organ Sharing – Deceased Donor Transplant Programme (January – December 2016)  

1. Organ donation rate of Tamil Nadu (Jan – Dec 2016) – 2.3 Per Million Population

2. Total number of deceased donors from Tamil Nadu – 185 donors

3. Total number of deceased donors in Tamil Nadu & from out of State – 209

4. Total number of solid organs and tissues donated in Tamil Nadu & from out of state – 877

5. Kidney is the major organ donated and transplanted in Tamil Nadu – 339

6. Majority of deceased donors belong to the age group of 21-30 years in Tamil Nadu – (24.3%)

7. The highest donations came from male organ donors in Tamil Nadu – 81.6%

8. Majority of deceased donations came from medico-legal cases in Tamil Nadu – 80%

9. Total number of transplanted recipients for all solid organs – 683

(Number of solid organs transplanted in Tamil Nadu within Tamil Nadu donation – 653

Number of solid organs transplanted in Tamil Nadu from out of state donation – 30)

Solid organs and tissues donated and transplanted in Tamil Nadu (Jan – Dec 2016): 845  

Kidney: 339

Liver: Livers donated - 169, Number of livers transplanted - 175 (whole liver transplanted 163 + split liver transplanted 12 = 175)

Lung: 50

Heart: 79

Pancreas: 10

Small intestine: 0

Heart valve: 36

Cornea: 136

Skin: 26

Solid organs transplanted in Tamil Nadu from out of state donation (Jan – Dec 2016): 32

Kidney: 0

Liver: 3

Lung: 6

Heart: 21

Heart valve: 2

Cornea: 0

Skin: 0

The recent analysis of the figures from the transplant registry and its annual report shows an interesting trend in Tamil Nadu. Over the last five years there has been a four-fold increase in the deceased donors in India and it has risen from a donation rate of 0.16 per million population in 2012 to 0.8 per million population in 2016. Over the last three years what we have seen is that the living donor kidney transplantation in Tamil Nadu has plateaued whereas the deceased donation kidney transplantation numbers are rising slowly every year as shown in the figure. The graph below very clearly shows this trend as the gap between the two types of transplants is narrowing. What this means is if this current trend continues, in the next three years the deceased donation numbers will cross the living donations. Tamil Nadu has maintained its lead position in terms of the number of deceased donor transplants in India since 1995 when the transplant law was first passed in the state and it accepted brain stem death for organ donation. In the last three years it has officially received awards for the best state in deceased donation from NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) during the annual celebration of organ donation day at Delhi as it has had the highest number of deceased organ donors as shown in the table. The increasing number of deceased donors has meant a rise in the number of patients benefitting from such transplants. Hospitals that do not generate their own deceased donors too have benefitted from the ‘common pool’ waiting list for kidneys.