Organ donation pledges go up, but Kerala far behind top states
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Organ donation pledges in Kerala rose in 2025, crossing the 10,000-mark with around 6,000 new commitments in the year. The whopping 161% surge also improved the states national ranking from 13 to 10. However, Kerala remains far behind states such as Maharashtra and Rajasthan, which registered nearly one lakh pledges each, underscoring a gap between its reputation as a health pioneer and actual performance. Experts caution that the improvement is built on a low baseline; for a state that has long projected itself as a leader in public health, the numbers remain modest. They argue that sustained awareness campaigns, particularly among youth organisations, are essential if Kerala is to match its stature in the national health index. The revival of pledges comes after years of stagnation and controversy surrounding the cadaver donation programme. In 2024, Kerala recorded just 11 donations, a six-year low, while only 3,000 individuals registered through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) platform by December. This year, pledges have coincided with a rise in donations. The state recorded 22 cadaver donations, highest in nine years. Officials at the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (K-SOTTO) said pledging of organs picked up pace in the last 3-4 months, with Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kollam leading Aadhaar-based registrations. The increase in organ donation pledges is a reflection of the change in public attitude towards the programme, said Dr Noble Gracious, the K-SOTTO executive director. He noted that pledges were made from people across the state. And while the 30-45 age group led in 2024, this year the 18-30 age group took the lead. Families, once hesitant, have also begun honouring pledges as was seen in the case of A R Aneesh, a 38-year-old assistant prison officer from Thiruvananthapuram, whose family donated nine organs, including his heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, hand and corneas, in October.
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