South Asian Organ Donor Gap: 20x More Patients Than Donors

NHS figures highlight a critical shortage of organ donors from South Asian backgrounds. Currently, there are more than 20 times as many patients of South Asian heritage waiting for transplants as there were deceased donors from the same background in the past year. Between April 2025 and March 2026, only 26 deceased donors of South Asian heritage were recorded, while 554 patients of the same heritage remain on the waiting list.

Organ transplantation relies on matching blood and tissue types, making donors of similar ancestry crucial. The current UK transplant waiting list has reached a record high of over 8,500 individuals. Patients of Asian heritage experience considerably longer waits for kidney transplants, averaging 648 days, compared to the UK average of 547 days.

For children of Asian heritage, the average wait for a kidney transplant is even longer, at 709 days, versus the UK average of 450 days. Bevi Sandhu shared her experience of donating her son Sunni Bansal's organs after his death earlier this year, emphasizing the importance of this act, especially within communities where organ donation is rarely discussed.

An NHS appeal, timed with South Asian Heritage Month (July 18 to August 17), urges people to discuss organ donation and confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. This initiative aims to increase donor registration among South Asian communities to help save lives.