For thousands of patients in Karnataka awaiting life-saving transplants, 2025 brought renewed hope as the state logged a record 198 organ donors, placing it third in the country. Despite the milestone, nearly 5,500 patients remain on waiting lists, underlining the continuing urgency to expand donations.
According to Jeevasarthakathe, the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Karnataka surpassed its previous highs of 178 donations in 2023 and 162 in 2024. In 2025, Tamil Nadu led the country with 267 donations, followed by Telangana with 205. Of Karnataka’s 198 donors, 150 were men and 48 were women.
Kidneys dominate waiting lists
Kidney transplants account for the bulk of demand in the state, with around 4,700 patients currently on the waiting list, followed by 650 patients in need of liver transplants. The most commonly retrieved organs and tissues in 2025 were kidneys (306), corneas (288), livers (167) and heart valves (76). Donations also included hearts, lungs, skin, bones and small intestines.
Beyond Bengaluru and Mysuru
Dr Ravishankar Shetty K, state coordinator for State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, attributed the record numbers to rising public awareness. “More people are now willingly donating organs,” he said.
However, he noted that 80–85% of donations still come from Bengaluru and, to a lesser extent, Mysuru. “Our focus next year will be on districts—building awareness and encouraging donations through medical college hospitals and non-transplant human organ retrieval centres (NTHORCs),” he added.
In 2025, SOTTO also announced a collaboration with the police department to appoint a DSP-rank officer as a nodal coordinator. The officer will identify accident-prone areas and work with district hospitals to facilitate organ donation in head injury cases. Additionally, SOTTO plans to partner with the higher education department to raise awareness and encourage students to pledge organ donation.
