Nearly 5,000 patients await Kidney transplants in Karnataka amid growing demand
Bengaluru: Nearly 5,000 patients in Karnataka are currently on the waiting list for kidney transplants, highlighting a widening gap between demand and availability of donor organs in the state. According to data from the Health and Family Welfare Department, 4,922 patients were registered for kidney transplants as of December 2025, even as only about 300 such procedures were carried out during the year.
A detailed report published by Deccan Herald noted that the waiting list for other organ transplants is far smaller in comparison. As per official data, 698 patients are registered for liver transplants, 118 for heart transplants and 44 for lung transplants. In 2025, kidney donations from 150 donors benefited around 300 recipients, while 161 livers, 49 hearts and 29 lungs were donated. Despite this, patients seeking a kidney transplant often face a waiting period of two to three years.
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Doctors and health officials have attributed the rising pressure on the transplant system to the sharp increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, which are major causes of chronic kidney disease. These conditions not only add to the number of patients requiring transplants but also reduce the pool of eligible donors.
D. P. Arun Kumar, programme officer of Jeevasarthakathe, the State Organ Tissue and Transplant Organisation under the Health and Family Welfare Department, told Deccan Herald that uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension significantly limit donor eligibility. He said individuals with these conditions, or with existing kidney damage, cannot donate kidneys. In addition, blood group compatibility and Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching further restrict donor options. He explained that while a complete HLA match is generally expected only among parents or siblings, mismatches can be managed through immunosuppressive therapy.
Unlike liver transplants, where allocation is based on the severity of illness, kidney transplants in Karnataka are allotted according to the seniority of registration. Arun Kumar said this system is followed because patients can be sustained on dialysis until a suitable kidney becomes available.
To reduce the financial burden on patients, the state government provides assistance to economically weaker sections. Below Poverty Line card holders are eligible for ₹2 lakh towards transplant costs and ₹1 lakh annually for post-transplant care, applicable in both government and private hospitals. Free kidney transplant services are currently available at the Institute of Nephro Urology at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru and at KIMS Hubballi, with plans underway to extend the facility to KR Hospital in Mysuru.
Dr Kristina George, consultant nephrologist and renal transplant specialist, said that although there has been some improvement in public willingness to consider organ donation, India still lags far behind global standards. She pointed to mistrust in healthcare systems, lack of awareness and religious concerns as major reasons families hesitate to consent to deceased organ donation. She noted that this year alone, 13 families declined consent despite donors being medically eligible.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government is planning to introduce structured transplant counselling for families of the deceased in government hospitals, with the aim of improving consent rates and strengthening the organ donation programme in the state.
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Building castle in the air: SC irked over non-compliance of orders by states in stray dog case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday flagged concern over state governments not complying with its directions to enhance their stray dog sterilisation capacity, saying, "They are all building castles in the air."
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, which commenced hearing states' submissions on compliance of its earlier directions, expressed its unhappiness over the progress and said they were engaged in "storytelling".
Senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who has been appointed amicus curiae in the matter, summarised the initiatives taken by different states, while flagging the deficiencies.
He pointed out that some states have taken steps in consonance with the top court's direction, but there was still a long way to go for total compliance.
The governments will have to step up animal birth control (ABC) facilities, ramp up sterilisation of stray dogs, set up dog pounds (animal shelters), fence up institutional areas and remove stray animals from roads and highways, the advocate said.
Pointing to the initiatives taken by the Bihar government, Agrawal said there are 34 ABC Centres where, they say, 20,648 dogs have been sterilised. But they have not specified the daily capacity of sterilisation, and for what period the figure specifies, he said.
"The state should have done a complete audit of ABC centres. If there are more than six lakh dogs in the state, sterilisation of 20,648 dogs is totally insufficient. Ninety-one dogs are presently lodged in the pounds.
"The affidavit does not indicate in how many institutional areas the survey has been done to see if there are fences, boundary walls, etc.," Agarwal submitted.
The bench said, "They are all building castles in the air. None of the states have given data on how many stray dog bites happened, except for Assam."
Advocate Manish Kumar, appearing for the Bihar government, however, said the state was putting things in place, and substantial progress will be made within three months.
The top court also expressed surprise over the data on dog bites in Assam. "Look at the statistics of bites. It is astonishing. In 2024, there were 1.66 lakh bites. And in 2025, only in January, there were 20,900. This is shocking," it observed.
The bench said that states cannot make vague statements, and all vague averments are made on affidavits. "We are going to pass strong strictures against states that make vague averments," Justice Nath said.
The apex court, which also heard the submissions of Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat, observed non-compliance of directions for fencing of institutional areas to prevent ingress of stray animals into schools and hospitals.
"Every public building should be fenced, not only because of stray dogs or other animals but also to protect the property from theft," the bench observed. It said that states have engaged in "storytelling and nothing concrete appears to have been done on the ground".
Agrawal said he will summarise the steps taken by Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana on Thursday.
The top court posted the matters for hearing on Thursday.
On January 20, the top court came down heavily on former Union minister Maneka Gandhi for her remarks criticising apex court orders in the stray dog issue, saying she has committed contempt of court.
The top court was hearing several petitions seeking modification of its November 7, 2025, order directing authorities to remove stray animals from the institutional areas and roads. On January 13, the top court said it would ask states to pay a "heavy compensation" for dog bite incidents and hold dog feeders accountable for such cases.
The court also flagged concerns over the non-implementation of norms on stray animals for the last five years.
Earlier, the apex court said it would not go into the allegations of harassment of women dog feeders and caregivers by purported anti-feeder vigilantes since it was a law and order issue, and the aggrieved persons could lodge FIRs about it. It also refused to go into the claims about certain derogatory remarks being made about women on the issue.
Taking note of the "alarming rise" in dog-bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex court on November 7 directed relocation of stray canines forthwith to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.
It had also said stray dogs picked up shall not be released back to their original place. The court had directed authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from the state highways, national highways and expressways.
The top court is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 last year, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.
