Will you wait 70 years for a kidney?

With only four kidney donations this year, the city's 280 waiting patients have no other option but to look elsewhere for donors

God forbid should you or a close relative be diagnosed with renal failure. The chances of finding a kidney in this city are dismal. With a waiting list of over 280 patients and an annual score of four kidney donations, the situation for patients is quite gloomy.

At this rate, a patient in Pune will have to wait for a minimum of 70-80 years to find a kidney donor.

Despite years of advocacy for organ donation, members of the local Zonal Transplant Co-ordination Committee (ZTCC) claim that the city's poor show is due to a lack of awareness about organ donation, and the government isn't doing much about it.

The ZTCC is responsible for coordination of cadaver organ transplants.

"Unlike sustained national campaigns like those against TB, smoking, HIV, etc, there is no programme that focuses on spreading awareness about organ donation. Therefore, the masses are unaware and not open to the idea," said Rohini Sahastrabuddhe, coordinator of ZTCC, Pune.

She added that with a government programme focused on organ donation the numbers could go up dramatically.

However, ZTCC centres in other cities do well despite facing similar issues. In the past one year, there have been four kidney and three liver transplants coordinated by the Pune centre. This is very little compared to what their counterparts in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai have managed (See Comparison).

Experts in Pune defended the city's dismal figures saying Pune had a unique set of problems. "There are four trained counsellors here. Besides org-an donation, we have to devote time to our jobs at the hospitals. It's difficult to spare time. A more focused programme would help the cause," added Sahastrabuddhe.

Experts said the donation drive in Pune needed an extra push a national programme funding awareness campaigns.

Wasted potential
Of the nine hospitals listed, some like Sassoon hospital are yet to open their account. And ZTCC officials say the hospital has the maximum potential. "Most cases of trauma and accidents go there. These cases usually turn out to be donors. If such cases are tapped properly, we can generate at least 12-13 donors a month," said Sahastrabuddhe.