In the last decade, India has made bold strides in health care, strengthening health systems, reducing maternal and child mortality, combating non-communicable diseases, and advancing universal access to quality health care. Yet when it comes to organ transplantation, unfortunately, a silent crisis continues to claim thousands of lives.

Organ Donation Day is a reminder for us to take action to urgently address the need for organ donation on a larger scale. There is no greater tragedy than a life that is lost for want of an organ transplant. Nearly half a million Indians die every year waiting for a life-saving transplant due to the unavailability of organs.

Losing a fellow Indian due to the lack of an organ for transplant is a preventable fatality we cannot accept. We have the medical expertise, and what we need now is a collective will at a national level to bridge the gap between organ supply and demand.

The gap between patients’ needs and organ availability and transplantation in India shows........

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