MP's Organ Donation Contribution Remains Below 2% Despite 50-Fold Rise

Organ donation is when someone gives parts of their body, like skin or eyes, to help sick people get better.

In Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, the number of people donating their bodies and eyes has grown almost 50 times bigger in the last ten years.

But Madhya Pradesh still gives very little to India's national organ donation pool.

In 2023, only 1.6% of all organ transplants performed in India came from the state.

Experts say many people in the state believe wrong myths about organ donation, or simply do not know enough about it.

Some people think their religion forbids it, or that doctors will not try as hard to save a donor's life.

Most Madhya Pradesh residents who donate organs while alive are women — about 80 out of every 100 donors.

The government now gives deceased donors a special honour at their last rites and creates green corridors to carry donated organs quickly.

There is also a new push to encourage skin donation, which acts like a biological dressing and saves the lives of people with severe burns.