There is a huge potential for cadaveric organ donations in Bangalore and organ donations are slowly catching up in the city. The Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka (ZCCK) for Organ Transplantation (ZCCK), the nodal agency to facilitate organ transplantation in the State, has coordinated 100 donations so far since its inception in 2007.
Four of these donations were in the last two days (back to back on December 12 and December 13) wherein vital organs from the donors helped save the lives of 16 others. According to ZCCK authorities, ten kidneys, five livers, one heart and three pairs of corneas were harvested and transplanted in 16 patients among those who are enrolled with ZCCK. Three pairs of corneas were donated to different eye banks in Bangalore.
Although ZCCK has been able to facilitate 100 multi-organ donations so far, cadaveric organ donation programme has not picked up at a fast pace because of delay in certifying brain deaths by hospitals.
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Of the 1,500 persons registered with the ZCCK for organ transplants, 1,300 are waiting for kidney transplants and 209 for liver.
The number could be more as not all patients waiting for organ transplants may have registered with the ZCCK for Transplantation.