Everything you Wanted to Know about Kidney Transplants in India

Kidney transplants honestly haven’t got the awareness that they deserve. Organ donors are shying away even today and there isn’t much information available about the same. In this article, we’ll throw some light on statistic revolving kidney transplants in India and why they need to be promoted further.

12 people die each day in the United States of America while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. This shows us that there is a huge gap or imbalance between demand and supply, harshly put, into life and death. Most transplants are done by organs donated by deceased donors. This number has to increase but isn’t. In such a case, it makes more sense to look outside the current market. This brings us to India.

Kidney Transplants in India Statistics

In the year 2004, India completed a total of 1214 kidney transplants. The figures are looking only positive since then. What’s more? India ranks 2nd in terms of transplants from live donors. The price of a kidney transplant in India is almost half of what it would cost in the US. The infrastructure and facilities are all top-notch and often beat those in the international market.

Kidney Transplants in India Cost

A transplant in India for an organ like a kidney would cost anywhere between four to seven lakhs (private hospitals) depending on various factors such as age of the patient, post renal care that is going to be required, etc. This cost of the organ is not included in this because sale of organs is not allowed in India. The hospitals can charge only for hospitalizations, operations, transplants, other medicines, etc.

It is said that a patient mostly waits well above three years to find a kidney. 2000 people or more get added to the waiting list every day. Why then, don’t we look beyond the local market and save more lives