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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Parliamentary panel discusses MGNREGA shortcomings, ways to adopt VB-G RAM G Act smoothly
New Delhi (PTI): A parliamentary panel on Monday examined various aspects of the UPA-era rural job guarantee law MGNREGA, which has now been replaced by the Narendra Modi government's VB-G RAM G Act, and how to go about with it in the next six months for a smooth transition to the new legislation.
Sources said most members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj were concerned about how the transition would take place in the next six months when the government shifts work policies from MGNREGA to the VB-G RAM G Act, how the payments would be made to beneficiaries during this period and how additional budgetary support would be arranged.
No member opposed the VB-G RAM G Act during the meeting, and several of them expressed concern that the enrolment under the old law was only around 50 per cent in many states, sources said.
Members also said it would take at least six months to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, as it will be implemented only after the rules are framed.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was passed by the Congress-led UPA in 2005. The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed in Parliament during the recently concluded Winter Session amid vociferous protests by the opposition. The new act has a provision for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.
The parliamentary panel meeting on Monday also discussed what the new system and framework would look like.
According to sources, some opposition members admitted that there were certain shortcomings in the MGNREGA for which the committee had earlier made certain recommendations.
Some opposition members said they had earlier suggested extending the number of working days from 100 to 150. They also demanded that whatever recommendations were made by the committee earlier should be considered while preparing the rules for the VB-G RAM G Act, according to sources.
BJP MPs said the new legislation was needed since the existing law could not address the current problems of villages and basic infrastructure development in rural areas.
Sources said that during the meeting, some MPs spoke about the reasons for bringing the VB-G RAM G Act and opined that MGNREGA was brought with the twin objectives of providing rural jobs and developing the rural infrastructure.
But those objectives were not achieved, and that is why the VB-G RAM G Act was brought by the government, sources said.
BJP members also said there were examples from several states where even 50 per cent of the MGNREGA funds could not be utilised by the governments there.
Chairman of the committee and Congress leader Saptagiri Ulaka said the members discussed various aspects of MGNREGA threadbare and how to go about in the next six months, as the new law will be implemented only when the rules are framed.
He said that the members intend to discuss MGNERGA in the budget session too, and for all these, there was a briefing session from the Ministry of Rural Development.
"We had a good discussion. The new law has been passed, but new rules have to be issued. All states will also have to come on board. Today's meeting was on how to go about a smooth transition to the VBG RAM G Act. Some members have given some suggestions too. We will give a report, then everything will be clear before you," he told reporters after the meeting.
During the meeting, the secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development gave a presentation on the MGNREGA.
According to the presentation, sources said, except for Delhi and Chandigarh, MGNREGA is implemented in 741 districts, covering 2.69 lakh gram panchayats with 12.15 crore active workers.
Of these, women constitute 57 per cent, SC/ST workers 36 per cent, and 4.81 lakh persons with disabilities have also been provided employment. At present, more than 15 crore families with 26 crore beneficiaries are covered under the scheme, sources said.
