MUMBAI, Aug. 14 -- For nearly two decades, private facilities have been overshadowing Maharashtra's government and BMC-run hospitals in cadaver organ donations. Since 2009, just 80 deceased donors have given 62 livers, 19 hearts, two lungs, a small bowel, and a skin donation at state-run hospitals, according to data from the Regional cum State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-SOTTO). While awareness has been increasing among donors, a hesitation still remains. Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, dean of JJ hospital, said, "The patient load and the family's unwillingness to donate organs often lead to a reduced number of donations in government hospitals. However, organ donors would be more willing to donate if appropriate facilities were available, said Dr S K Mathur, a Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) president. "The government hospitals have not established high-quality surgical and transplant centres in the vicinity," said Dr Mathur. "When a donor agrees to any form of donation, they want to understand where the organs might go. Without a functional transplant centre, the hospital staff cannot assure the donors." Dr Mathur also added that current organ donations only meet the requirements of 10% of patients in Maharashtra, and government hospitals focusing on donations would drastically help save this. In stark contrast, private hospitals recorded 101 donors in 2022, leading to 290 organ retrievals, compared to just four donors and eight retrievals in government hospitals in the same year. ZTCC does not allow retrieved organs to be utilised by private hospitals to avoid poaching. Yet, until August 12, the state has recorded 33 cadaver donations and a majority of them were from private hospitals. The waiting list for transplants in Maharashtra has increased from 8,240 patients in 2024 to 9,423 this year, including 7,271 in need of kidneys and 1,883 requiring livers. "We've formed a panel to review the methods, the rules and process to conduct organ donation after circulatory death. That will help the condition drastically," said Dr Mathur. The state public health department is carrying out an organ donation fortnight from August 3 to August 15, with a range of awareness drives. It has also issued directives to state government hospitals to promote and develop organ retrieval capabilities....