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Across the States and Union Territories listed in the government’s five-year annexure, 62,189 kidney transplants were recorded between 2021 and 2025.

Gujarat’s 4,489 procedures accounted for about 7.2 per cent of this combined figure.

The State therefore remains a significant contributor to India’s kidney transplant activity, even though it was not among the top three transplant-performing states in the five years. The broader national trend also points upward.

The number of kidney transplants reported across the states and UTs listed in the annexure increased from 9,105 in 2021 to 14,477 in 2025, a rise of nearly 59 per cent.

Gujarat’s growth therefore broadly mirrors the national expansion in transplant activity. The waiting list remains deadly; patients die before organs arrive.

Behind the rising transplant numbers lies a more difficult reality: patients are still dying while waiting for a kidney. Gujarat recorded 16 deaths among patients on the kidney transplant waiting list between 2021 and 2025.

The State reported six deaths in 2021, none in 2022, two in 2023, one in 2024 and seven in 2025.

The pattern highlights a critical issue in organ transplantation: time is often the deciding factor between life and death. Even as transplant capacity improves, patients on dialysis or in end-stage renal failure can deteriorate rapidly if a matching organ is not available in time.

The sharpest warning came in 2025, when Gujarat recorded seven waiting-list deaths, the highest annual figure in the five years.

The data highlights that higher transplant activity has not eliminated deaths among patients waiting for kidneys, leaving vulnerable patients exposed during long waiting periods.

Importantly, the government data does not provide Gujarat’s current waiting-list population in the annexure, so a state-specific mortality rate cannot be calculated. However, the presence of deaths on the waiting list itself underscores a key systemic challenge: The figures underscore the continuing challenge of ensuring timely access to donor organs. At the national level, the pressure is even more visible.

As of July 27, 2026, 73,646 patients were awaiting kidney transplantation across India. This large backlog means that even small delays in organ allocation can translate into preventable deaths. Government pushes donation drive and digital tracking.

The Centre has responded by expanding awareness and transplant infrastructure under the National Organ Transplant Programme. Funding is being provided to states and UTs for organ donation, transplantation and awareness activities, while NOTTO, ROTTOs and SOTTOs are conducting campaigns to encourage organ and tissue donation.

The government said more than five lakh Aadhaar-verified organ and tissue donation pledges had been registered. It has also launched the nationwide year-long “Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan” from August 3, 2026 to promote organ and tissue donation.

At the same time, the National Registry Portal was upgraded on August 3 into e-Pratyaaropan, a digital platform intended to digitise organ donation and transplantation processes, improve transparency and streamline services for patients.

Gujarat: The data presents a dual reality: Gujarat’s transplant system is expanding, but patients are still dying while waiting for organs. A nearly 60 per cent rise in kidney transplants over five years shows improved medical capacity and infrastructure.

However, the 16 deaths on the waiting list, including a sharp rise in 2025, highlight the human cost of organ scarcity. The key takeaway is clear: the challenge is no longer only surgical capacity, but timely organ availability.

Until donor numbers rise significantly, patients will continue to face the risk of dying before a transplant becomes possible, even in a State with growing medical capability.