In India, organ transplantation has become a very important and developing field. This is a life-saving method in which a doctor places a healthy organ from a donor in the patient’s body whose organs have stopped functioning. The demand for organ transplant in India has increased because of the rising of chronic diseases like diabetes, liver disorders, etc. However, the biggest challenge in India is the large gap between organ demand and supply. It is important to raise awareness about this to reduce the issue. An organ transplant is a second life for the patient and improves the quality of life. Apart from its several benefits, it also contains some risks. If we discuss about its cost in India, then it is more affordable than in Western countries. Highly skilled and well-trained doctors are present here which makes the organ transplant procedure successful at a very low price as compared to other countries.
What is Organ Transplantation?
An organ transplant is a medical process in which surgeons take a healthy organ from a donor and transplanted into the patient whose organ is damaged. Transplants are mainly done for many crucial organs like the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, etc. It is a life saving method for those whose organ fail to recover from medicines or other treatments. There are some serious chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, etc. When diseases damage organs very badly then doctors recommend an organ transplant a correct choice. Secondly, there are many such children who are born with those organs that cannot function properly. In such cases, doctors perform an organ transplant to give those children a normal life.
Types of Organ Transplant in India
There are many vital organ transplants available in India. Have a look at it.
Kidney Transplant
When a person’s both kidneys stop working up to eighty to ninety percent, then dialysis is required to clean the blood. A kidney transplant is suggested when kidney dialysis is not effective. For the kidney transplantation, doctors take the organ from a family member or non-related donors (with legal approval). Then they place the patient whose kidneys have stopped working because of diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. After the successful transplantation, the patient does not need to go on dialysis repeatedly. The transplant is important for the patient because that organ plays an important role in the body:
- Cleans the blood.
- Balance the water level.
- Control the blood pressure.
- Important for the bones.
- Helps in the formation of blood.
Heart Transplant
Doctors perform heart transplantation when a patient’s heart reaches the end stage heart failure. In this, the heart becomes so weak that it is unable to pump the blood in the body. They take heart only from that donor whose brain has died and then been placed into the patient. When the heart of the person stops working completely and it cannot be recovered with medicines also. After this heart transplant is the only way to save the patient. After the successful transplantation, the patient is able to:
- Breathe without any problem.
- Live a normal life.
- Walk, run, climb stairs, and exercise like work.
Liver Transplant
Liver transplantation is a medical process in which surgeons remove a diseased or damaged liver and place a healthy liver in the patient. This healthy liver can be taken from a living donor or a person whose brain has died. When the liver is not able to recover itself, even with medical treatment. There are major conditions like hepatitis and extreme alcoholism shrinks the liver very badly. Liver cancer, sudden liver failure, etc, are some of the causes in which doctors consider a liver transplant the correct option. After the successful transplantation, the patient gets relief from serious diseases like jaundice, blood vomiting, etc and comes back to their normal life.
Pancreas Transplant
A pancreas transplant is a medical process in which doctors replace a diseased pancreas with a healthy pancreas. Doctors mainly recommend this transplantation to those patients who are suffering from the critical conditions of type one diabetes. When the patient’s body stops producing insulin and sugar is not controlled even after taking injections. In such cases, doctors consider a pancreas transplant the correct option to save the patient. In some cases, sugar levels decrease suddenly which can lead to death. To prevent this, doctors perform transplantation so that the body starts producing insulin itself.
Bone-Marrow Transplant
This transplant is a kind of medical process in which surgeons replace damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells. Bone marrow is present in our bones which plays a very crucial role. It is the place where WBCs, RBCs, and platelets are made. Surgeons perform this transplantation when a patient is suffering from blood cancer. Then, they remove damaged cells and place new cells in the body with the help of chemotherapy. Secondly, if the person is struggling with Aplastic Anemia, Thalassemia, or other critical conditions, then they perform bone marrow transplant.
Note: This may be considered in organ transplantation but not in solid transplantation. It is a cell or tissue transplant.
Lung Transplant
A lung transplant is a complex medical procedure in which surgeons removes a diseased or failing lung and place donor’s lung. When the patient’s lungs are unable to give proper oxygen, the effects also end. Then doctors recommend lung transplantation as a last option to save the patient’s life. This is mainly performed when:
- Generally, lungs get damaged to an extreme level because of smoking and pollution.
- Lung tissue becomes hard which causes a problem in breathing.
- Cystic Fibrosis
- An increase in blood pressure to an extreme level in the veins of the lungs.
Organ Donation Process in India
It is a full medical process in which doctors receive an organ from a person. That person can be one whose brain has died or an individual who is willing to donate their organ. This person is called “Donor”. Then the doctor transplants that organ into the recipient whose organ has failed or who cannot live without the organ replacement. There are two types of donors, which are a living donor and a deceased donor. A living donor is a person who is willing to donate their organ. A deceased donor is a person whose brain has died and doctors use their organs to save another life with the consent of that person’s family. The organ donation process is categorised into two parts:
Living Organ Donation Process
In this process, a healthy person donates an organ or part of his body to another person while he is still alive. Generally, living organ donation happens within the family only like mother, father, spouse, sister, etc, to reduce the risk of organ rejection. The kidney or Liver is only considered for living organ donation. Because the liver grows again and a kidney donor can live on one kidney. Doctors do a full check up of the family member who is donating the organ to prevent any future complications. A psychological expert ensures that the donor is willing to donate the organ or he is not doing with any pressure.
After every legal procedure is completed, two teams perform the transplant surgery at the same time. One team takes out the organ and another immediately places it in the recipient. The donor normally recovers after 2-6 weeks and returns to normal life.
Deceased Donation Process
In this process, the doctor retrieves the organ from the person whose brain has died. The procedure of these donations only proceeds when the person has decided to donate his organ earlier or with the family’s consent. After the approval, doctors keep the organs alive like heart, lungs, liver, etc, with the help of several machines. So that they function better in another body. With the help of the government network, they check which patient matches the same blood group and tissue type for the organ.
Doctors take out the organ carefully and transported safely in special boxes. They are sent to hospitals who are ready for the surgery. After the retrieval of an organ, doctors stitched the body and handed it over to the family with respect. No major changes appear on the outside of the body.
Legal Framework for Organ Transplant in India
- In India, organ transplantation is strictly governed by “The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA)”, 1994.
- If the person is willing then only the donation happens. It should not happen on any kind or pressure. Buying or selling of organs is illegal and strictly not allowed.
- Transplantation should only take place in those hospitals who have permission from the government.
- For the living donation, donor or family consent is mandatory. If the donor is declared brain dead, then family consent is important for deceased donation.
- Living donors should complete all legal procedures for donations to prevent any future complications.
- No kind of discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, caste, etc, should be there at the time of allocation of organs.
- NOTTO is the organisation which monitors all organ allocation procedures to ensure honesty and safety.
Cost of Organ Transplant in India
The cost of an organ transplant in India depends on the type of organ, the location of the hospital, the city, etc. Generally, India is the best and most affordable country for organ transplantation. Here is the breakdown of average transplant costs.
| Type of Organ Transplant | Average Cost (INR) | Average Cost (USD) |
| Kidney Transplant | INR 5,00,000 – 15,00,000 | USD 5000 – 16000 |
| Liver Transplant | INR 15,00,000 – 35,00,000 | USD 16000 – 40000 |
| Heart Transplant | INR 18,00,000 – 35,00,000 | USD 20000 – 40000 |
| Lung Transplant | INR 15,00,000 – 40,00,000 | USD 16000 – 40000 |
| Pancreas Transplant | INR 10,00,000 – 20,00,000 | USD 10000 – 20000 |
| Intestine Transplant | INR 30,00,000 – 35,00,000 | USD 30000 – 40000 |
| Bone Marrow Transplant (Tissue) | INR 10,00,000 – 40,00,000 | USD 10000 – 40000 |
| Cornea Transplant (Tissue) | INR 40,000 – 2,00,000 | USD 500 – 2000 |
Best Hospitals for Organ Transplant in India
India is a major center for organ transplantation. Indian hospitals equip themselves with advanced technologies and tools. Also, its highly skilled doctors make this country a correct choice for the patients to choose for their transplantation. Here are some of the best hospitals for organ transplant in India that you should take a look.
- Apollo Hospitals: This hospital is famous for liver transplants, high success rates, excellent clinical outcomes, and advanced ICUs.
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute(FMRI), Gurugram: Best hospital famous for providing advanced transplant care and using minimally invasive surgical technologies.
- Medanta Medicity, Gurugram: This hospital is mainly famous for performing transplantations of liver, kidney, heart, etc.
- BKL Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket(New Delhi): Specialises in bone marrow transplant with the help of highly skilled and well trained surgeons.
- Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai: This hospital is the best for heart and lung transplants. It is famous for providing multi organ surgery.
- All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS): A famous hospital in India which have highly skilled experts and advanced government supported transplant programs.
- PGIMER, Chandigarh: Largest center which provide many transplants like kidney, liver, lung, heart, etc. They use advanced robotic technology. Secondly, this is the main center of ROTTO, which monitors the organ donation and distribution of it.
- Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru: This hospital performs a large range of organ transplants mainly expertise in liver and kidney transplants.
- Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi: Mainly famous for the high success rate of transplants till now. It is the first center in South Asia which have completed over a hundred liver transplants.
Challenges in Organ Transplantation in India
Here are some of the common challenges related to organ transplantation in India.
- In India, people require organs in the large numbers for transplantation but the number of donors is very low.
- Most people are not aware of brain death. They think that if the heart is breathing, a person is alive. But in actuality, the brain is dead. This is the result that many families are not willing to donate organs.
- Many people fear that hospitals will declare death so early to make money in the name of donation. This shows a lack of trust in the hospital.
- Organ transplantation is a little expensive. After that, patients have to consume medicines for the whole life which increases the budget.
- India has a very strict law to prevent organ trafficking. Because of this, many patients have to face a very long time to complete legal procedures. This sometimes worsens their condition.
Benefits and Risks of Organ Transplant
Take a look at what good changes can come from organ transplantation and difficulties may occur.
Benefits of Organ Transplant Surgery
Some of the common benefits of organ transplantation are:
- Organ transplantation is life saving method for many people.
- The patient’s health condition improves after the operation.
- The individual gets relief from the dialysis.
- Mental peace
- The patient can survive for many years.
- An individual feels energetic and they get relief from fatigue.
Risks of Organ Transplant
Some of the common risks of organ transplantation are:
- Organ Rejection
- Infections
- Side effects of medicines
- Chances of Cancer can occur
- Kidney Problems
- Mental Stress
- Blood Clots
Success Rate of Organ Transplant in India
Organ transplant success rate in India has increased nowadays as patients are getting a new life.
- Kidney: In India, the success rate of kidney transplants is very high. The chances of a patient’s survival range 90%-95% in the first year. If the donor is living, then it increases till 99%.
- Liver: The success rate of liver is up to 89%-95%. After the transplantation, the chances of survival of the patients are more than 90%.
- Heart: The success rate of heart transplant has improved to around 80%-85%.
- Pancreas: After the transplantation, the chances of the patient’s survival in the first year are more than 95%. Around 85%-90%, the new pancreas functions better even after one year, during which the patient gets relief from the insulin injection slowly.
- Lungs: In India, the lung transplant success rate is around 85%-87% after one year. Around 50%-60% patients stay healthy even after five years.
- Bone Marrow: The success rate of this in India lies around 60%-85%. If the donor is within the blood relation only, then the chances of survival increase up to 90%.
The success rate of any transplant depends on the type of donor. The living donor success rate is better than that of the deceased donor. Secondly, it also depends on the treatment care, hospital, location, etc.
Conclusion
Organ Transplantation in India is a life saving medical procedure that has successfully treated many patients across the world. Advanced tools, highly skilled doctors, and hospitals have made this country the third-largest organ transplant destination in the world. In this blog, we have mentioned a few necessary things which are very important for a person to know regarding a transplant.
Note: This content is for information purposes only. Medical guidance from the doctors or healthcare experts is mandatory.
