Organ Donations Crisis in West Bengal: 1,000 Patients Still Waiting

The figures speak for themselves: Nearly 1,000 patients in West Bengal are desperately waiting for organ transplants, yet barely a handful of life-saving donations take place annually. The growing gap between supply and demand has prompted medical professionals across the state to insist on policy reforms.

The figures paint a grim picture

Kolkata witnessed just six cadaver organ donations in 2025, giving a new lease of life to 18 recipients. While this is better than the 14 donations last year, it is just a drop in the ocean of desperate need.

The waiting lists tell the real story of this medical emergency. The longest waits are for those in need of kidneys, with 635 awaiting a donor match. There are 149 candidates for liver transplants, 115 for heart transplants, and 22 who need lung transplants.

What’s more shocking is that these figures are only for registered patients. According to officials from the Regional Organ Allocation Authority (ROTTO) (East), the actual number of people in need of organs is much higher.

Why are southern states leading the way?

Tamil Nadu and other southern states have solved the organ donation conundrum with a single key policy: mandatory declarations of brain death in government hospitals. This simple but effective requirement has led to a huge increase in their donation rates.

Brain death is declared when a patient has no chance of recovery, yet their heart continues to beat despite the help of a ventilator. These situations are invaluable opportunities for organ donation as they have the potential to save multiple lives from a single donor.

Bengal’s path to better outcomes

According to Dr. Arpita Ray Chowdhury, a Professor of Nephrology and former administrator of ROTTO, simply raising awareness isn't enough; outlining government policy frameworks becomes necessary to achieve sustainable changes, as she told The Times of India.

Systematic brain death recognition protocols are underway at the government-run IPGMER Trauma Care Centre. While they maintain stringent documentation, mandatory tests, and sensitive consultations with relatives, this solo government hospital accounted for nearly half of Bengal's organ donations in 2024.

Building community support

Healthcare providers are also campaigning outside the traditional medical halls. Apollo Hospitals and the Bengal Organ Donation Society are engaging with religious leaders and local chiefs, recognizing that opinion leaders can influence people’s views on organ donation.

Such a community-focused approach recognizes that organ donation is a family and community choice rather than a decision of the patient, immediate family, and the patient alone.

Transformative technology and systems

Kolkata’s state-of-the-art medical facilities currently offer full transplant facilities for heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Private hospitals like Apollo are setting standards for donor cooperation, while government hospitals are implementing audit systems to identify potential donors more effectively.

Hope on the horizon

Recent joint meetings of nephrology practitioners, ROTTO officials, and NGOs are evidence of the increasing rate of changes. Stakeholders have been drawn by the Kolkata Nephrology Forum and Manipal Hospitals to strategize on closing the donation gap.  

Medical practitioners are hopeful that systemic policy changes, community outreach, and better hospital protocols will bring sweeping changes to Bengal’s organ donation scenario. Not merely to increase statistics, but to develop sustainable mechanisms that bring hope to hundreds of families waiting for life-saving transplants.

Moving forward requires the collective efforts of policymakers, healthcare organizations, and communities united by a common goal: that no patient needs to die waiting for an organ that could have been made possible by better systems and policies.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)