India Kidney Transplant Crisis: Over 200 Patients Died Awaiting Transplants In 2025, Delhi Reported 132 Deaths

New Delhi, August 8, 2026: More than 200 people died in India in 2025 while waiting for a kidney transplant, with Delhi accounting for 132 deaths, the highest in the country, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said 73,646 patients were awaiting kidney transplantation across the country as of July 27. The figures underline the enormous gap between the number of patients waiting for a kidney and the availability of organs for transplantation.

Delhi Bears The Brunt

Delhi has consistently reported the highest number of deaths among patients on the kidney transplant waiting list since 2021, according to the national registry portal.

In 2021, 176 people died in Delhi while waiting for a kidney. The number stood at 118 in 2022 and rose to 159 in 2023. Another 148 people died in 2024 before they could receive a kidney.

The trend is worrying, particularly because the national capital continues to account for a substantial share of the reported deaths. In 2025, Delhi recorded 132 deaths among people awaiting kidney transplants, TNIE reports.

Rajasthan Follows Delhi

After Delhi, Rajasthan recorded the highest number of deaths among people on the kidney transplant waiting list in 2025, with 19 fatalities.

Goa reported 17 deaths, Maharashtra 15, Madhya Pradesh 11, and Haryana 10. Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh recorded seven deaths each, while Bihar reported five and Punjab four.

Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh reported two deaths each. Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and West Bengal recorded one death each.

Taken together, the figures show the human cost of waiting for an organ. For patients and their families, a place on the transplant waiting list can become a race against time.

Government Pushes Awareness Campaign

Jadhav said the government launched a nationwide, year-long public awareness campaign, Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan, on August 3 to promote organ and tissue donation.

The National Registry Portal has also been upgraded and launched as a digital platform called e-Pratyaaropan. The platform aims to digitise organ donation and transplantation processes, improve transparency, and ensure smooth services for patients in need.

The measures are important, but the number of people dying while awaiting transplantation also highlights the need for greater awareness about organ and tissue donation.

States Responsible For Reporting Data

Jadhav said that under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, and its rules, respective state governments are responsible for ensuring that transplant hospitals report data to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry (NOTTR).

The registry is maintained by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).

NOTTO, along with Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs), conducts awareness programmes across the country to spread information and promote organ and tissue donation by engaging with various stakeholders.

Helpline And Public Outreach

Awareness activities such as poster-making, slogan-writing, and special pledge campaigns are organised regularly to encourage organ and tissue donation.

A 24x7 call centre with the toll-free helpline number 1800114770 is also operational to provide information, tele-counselling, and coordination for organ donation. Messages promoting donation are disseminated daily through social media platforms.

Citizens can also pledge to donate organs and tissues through the NOTTO web portal. More than five lakh Aadhaar-verified pledges have been registered so far.

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While awareness campaigns, digital systems, and pledges are steps towards strengthening the transplantation system, the deaths of more than 200 people in a single year serve as a stark reminder of what is at stake. For thousands of patients still waiting for a kidney, greater organ donation can mean the difference between receiving a transplant in time and never getting that chance.

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