Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Low cadaver donation rates (deceased organ donation) are hampering organ transplants in Madhya Pradesh, with doctors saying that even well-funded transplant units fail to function effectively due to the shortage of donors.
According to the Madhya Pradesh State Advisory Committee for Organ Donation, the number of donations in 2024 stood at 10 in the state, compared with 196 in Telangana and 172 in Tamil Nadu. Similarly, in 2025, Madhya Pradesh recorded only nine cadaver donations, while Tamil Nadu and Telangana reported 246 and 212 respectively.
Despite recording more than 14,791 annual road traffic deaths in 2024 and 13,798 fatalities in 2023, cadaver donation remains very low in the state. This gap stems from low awareness of brain death, issues related to family consent, lack of trained hospital counsellors and intensivists, and inadequate infrastructure for identifying potential donors.
Dr Rakesh Bhargav, a member of the Madhya Pradesh State Advisory Committee for Organ Donation and the State Authorisation Committee, said, Cadaver donation rate in Madhya Pradesh is very poor. It adversely affects organ transplants in the state.
In the government sector, organ transplant through cadaver donation is nil. Under such circumstances, even if organ transplant units are set up with huge investment, they are not viable in Madhya Pradesh.
Dr Subodh Varshney, of Sidhanta Super Speciality, said, There must be a proper law ensuring reporting of brain-dead patients in ICUs in all hospitals. It should be mandatory to upload details of brain-dead patients on a portal. More than 15% of brain-dead patients are not identified. If a law is enacted in this direction, road accidents and other cases will automatically be covered.
