Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Once limited to living donors, organ transplants in the city are now seeing a positive shift with rising cadaver donations.
From the trauma units of government hospitals to the intensive care units of private multispecialty centres, the culture of organ donation is slowly being recognized as a critical pillar of public health. Although kidney transplants began in the city as early as 1988, the scarcity of suitable living donors meant that many patients remained on dialysis or died awaiting a match.
Cadaver donations emerged as a potential solution, but limited awareness about brain death, complex consent protocols, and social taboos hindered progress for years. That scenario is now changing. “In 2024 alone, we’ve seen 400 to 500 new pledges,” said Farhan Hashmi, Chief Coordinator, ZTCC. Lokmat Jeevandan, also a campaign launched to complete the target of 75,000 registered donors recently, carries the message “Be a Champion. Be an Organ Donor,” and is helping make donation a public conversation.
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Debunking Myths
According to experts, deep-rooted fears still persist.
“Some still believe organs are forcibly taken post-death, with rumours of vans arriving out of nowhere. That’s untrue,” doctors clarified.
“Organs are retrieved only after written consent from close relatives. Myths will fade only through awareness,” they emphasized.
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Year-wise Cadaver Donation Statistics:
2020: Nil
2021: 01
2022: 03
2023: 06
2024: 03
2025 (till now): 03
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Awareness yet to penetrate smaller cities
I’ve seen how far we still have to go. Unlike metro cities, awareness here hasn’t fully taken root. The most difficult part is convincing grieving families to say yes in those fragile moments. The biggest challenge lies in getting the relatives to register and give consent in moments of grief. That moment of decision can either end or extend a life.
— Dr Pravin Suryawanshi, IMA president and ZTCC president
Setting up ZTCC: The turning point
“To enable cadaver donations, a transplant coordination centre was essential. In the past nine years, cadaver donations have slowly increased and helped save lives. The progress may be slow, but it is steady and not without hope.”
— Dr Sudhir Kulkarni, MBBS, MD, DM (Nephrologist)(past ZTCC president)