Nagpur: As the Winter Assembly session continues in Nagpur, newly released data in Parliament has highlighted a serious concern for Maharashtra. Nearly 300 patients in the state have died while waiting for organ transplants over the past five years, underscoring a widening gap between demand and availability of donor organs.
According to figures presented by the Union Health Ministry, 2,805 people across India died waiting for transplants between 2020 and 2024. Delhi recorded the highest number of deaths at 1,425, followed by Maharashtra with 297, and Tamil Nadu with 233. With the state among the worst-hit, the issue is likely to generate strong discussions in the ongoing session at Nagpur’s Vidhan Bhavan.
The ministry’s data further reveals that Delhi performs the most organ transplants in the country, but a majority rely on living-related donors, not deceased donors. This reduces waiting periods for Delhi patients but prolongs queues in states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, where a larger proportion of recipients depend on the national pool of cadaveric organs.
Under the current system, every patient in need of a transplant must register on the central portal, and their name is removed only if they receive an organ from a relative.
The waiting list in Maharashtra continues to grow at an alarming rate. As of December 2025, the state has 20,553 patients awaiting transplants—the highest in India. Among them, 13,045 need kidneys, signalling a critical shortage of renal donors. Gujarat ranks second with 9,592 patients on the list, including 7,405 kidney and 2,019 liver patients. Tamil Nadu is third with 9,166 awaiting transplants, of whom 6,448 require kidneys and 2,020 need liver transplants.
With the data now in the public domain, health experts and legislators are expected to push for reforms in Maharashtra’s organ donation framework, improved cadaveric donation rates, and stronger public outreach to reduce avoidable deaths in the coming years.
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