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Organ shortage leaves patients and students wanting
14 Aug
Summary
- One organ donor can save up to eight lives, but donations are scarce.
- Medical students lack cadavers, with 20-22 students sharing one body.
- Corneal transplants lag, leaving 220 people waiting for sight restoration.
In Prayagraj, a significant shortfall in organ, eye, and body donations is casting a shadow on World Organ Donation Day. This scarcity is leaving patients awaiting life-saving transplants and medical students deprived of essential learning resources. At SRN Hospital, the newly launched kidney transplant program offers hope, with 22 patients expected to benefit from transplants, and a second procedure underway.
However, the situation at Motilal Nehru Medical College highlights a severe deficit in body donations. First-year MBBS students often share a single cadaver among 20 to 22 individuals, far from the ideal ratio of one body per 10-12 students. Between 2011 and June 2026, the Yug Dadhichi campaign saw 111 body donations, yet the college requires approximately 20 cadavers annually for its 200 annual admissions, receiving only about seven bodies each year.
The demand for eye donations is also starkly unmet. While 1,460 people pledged their eyes between 2024 and 2026, only 125 corneal transplants were performed in the preceding three years. This leaves 220 individuals still waiting for the gift of sight, underscoring the urgent need for more pledges to be realized as actual donations.
