2 weeks ago
Start organ donation talk at home, awareness can bridge gap
Some people get very sick because an organ in their body, like a kidney, stops working.
They need a new organ to live, but there aren't enough organs for everyone.
A doctor named Thankam Subramonian gave one of her kidneys to help a woman she didn't know.
Doctors in India are asking families to talk openly about organ donation at home.
Many people are scared or believe wrong things about donating organs.
When someone dies, their family must say yes to donate their organs.
In most cases, the family says no, so lives are lost.
India does more than 20,000 transplants every year, but nearly 90,000 people are still waiting.
Doctors say one person who donates can help save up to five other people.
That's why they want everyone to learn about organ donation and make a pledge.
Dr. Thankam Subramonian, a fetal medicine consultant in Bengaluru, donated a kidney to an unrelated 56-year-old woman from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.
Manipal Hospitals hosted the 'Shuruwat Ghar Se' programme on National Organ Donation Day and urged all staff to pledge their organs.
India performed over 20,000 transplants in 2025, but nearly 90,000 people remained on the waiting list for major organs as of March 2026.
India's deceased organ donation rate is less than one per million people, among the lowest in the world, while Spain leads at 57 per million.
Doctors said fear, stigma and lack of awareness block donations, with family consent refused in about 80% of potential cadaver donations.
- Who
- Dr. Thankam Subramonian, a Bengaluru fetal medicine consultant who donated a kidney, along with Manipal Hospitals doctors including Ayanabh Debgupta, Upal Sengupta and Dilip Kumar Pahari.
- What
- A push to make organ donation a household conversation and boost pledges and awareness in India.
- Where
- Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass, where the programme was held; the story also spans Bengaluru and Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.
- When
- National Organ Donation Day (Thursday), when the 'Shuruwat Ghar Se' programme took place.
- Why
- To close the huge gap between organ demand and supply, as nearly 90,000 people await major organs despite India performing over 20,000 transplants in 2025.
Key facts
- Kidney donor
- Dr. Thankam Subramonian, consultant in fetal medicine at Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru
- Recipient
- A 56-year-old woman from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
- Transplants in India (2025)
- Over 20,000
- People on waiting list (March 2026)
- Nearly 90,000 for major organs
- India's deceased organ donation rate
- Less than one per million people
- Spain's deceased organ donation rate
- 57 per million people
- Family consent refusal rate
- 80% of cadaver donation cases
- Lives one donor can save
- Five people
Quotes
Thankam Subramonian
Consultant in fetal medicine and organ donor
““I don’t see any other reason but lack of awareness... One person can give life to five people, which is priceless, and that is what we need to drive... Lack of awareness is there because people are not clear about what it means.””
telegraphindia.com
““There is a social stigma around organ donation, and people refuse to talk about it because it brings death into the conversation. There should be discourse and dialogue in every home, without the taboo of death.””
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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