Kalpetta: Despite strides in healthcare, Kerala continues to lag behind in organ donation. As per data from the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (K-SOTTO), 83 individuals are currently registered and awaiting heart transplants in the state.

K-SOTTO, which oversees organ donation and transplant procedures in both government and private hospitals, follows a prioritisation system based on a patient’s age, medical condition, and urgency. From 2012 to 2024, only 11 heart transplant surgeries were performed in government hospitals, compared to 72 in private hospitals.

Decline in brain death declarations a reason?

A significant reason for the decline in organ donations is the decreasing number of brain death declarations by doctors. Brain death, the irreversible cessation of all brain activity, is a critical point at which organs can be retrieved for transplantation. However, reports suggest that many doctors do not adequately counsel families about the importance of organ donation when brain death is confirmed.

If more families consented to organ donation in these situations, many lives could be saved.

Kerala falls behind

Over the past 13 years, only 387 people in Kerala have donated their organs after death. This is in stark contrast to the state’s earlier performance—during 2015–2017, Kerala was among the top states for organ donation, with 76 donors in 2015 and 72 in 2016. Since then, numbers have steadily declined, with just 11 organ donations recorded in 2024.

In total, 1,108 transplant surgeries have been performed in Kerala so far, covering organs such as kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, small intestines, and pancreas. In 2025 alone, 24 transplant surgeries have been completed from nine brain-dead donors.

Low registration numbers

The number of people in Kerala who have registered their willingness to donate organs posthumously remains alarmingly low—only 5,891 individuals. In comparison, Maharashtra leads with 51,506 registered donors.

Kidneys are the most in-demand organ among registered patients. So far in 2025, 14 kidney donations have taken place. In 2024, there were 19 kidney donations, and in 2023, there were 32.

Currently, Kerala ranks 12th among Indian states in terms of organ donation, despite having one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the country.