3 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 9, 2026 21:55 IST
Mumbai recorded three cadaver organ donations in a span of 24 hours on February 7 and 8, giving a brief boost to the city’s transplant efforts even as thousands of people continue to wait for life-saving organs.
The donations were reported by SL Raheja Hospital in Mahim, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital in Navi. Bombay and Hira Mongi Navneet Hospital in Mulund. Donors contributed multiple organs and tissues, including kidneys, livers, corneas and skin.
So far this year, Mumbai has recorded 10 organ donations from deceased persons, resulting in the transplantation of 20 organs, according to the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre. However, 4,871 patients remain on the waiting list. Another donation process is currently underway in Dombivli, and details are awaited.
One of the donors was Sachin Pujara, 48, who had been suffering from high blood pressure for several years. On February 2, he was admitted to Hira Mongi Navneet Hospital after feeling severe dizziness and losing his balance. Doctors found internal bleeding related to his condition and said he was responding well to treatment and was close to being discharged.
However, on February 6, it suddenly collapsed. Despite attempts at CPR, he did not respond and was placed on a ventilator. On February 7, the organ donation process began, after a decision that had been made years before. His liver, kidneys, corneas and skin were donated.
His wife Bhagyashree, sister Bhavana and children Tisha, 23, and Hridaya, 19, supported the decision.
“It wasn’t easy for us, but we understood that it was for a greater cause,” Bhagyashree told The indian express. “My children and their older sister also supported me and I realized that it was something that could give life to others.”
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“Yesterday all the hospital staff greeted him when we received his body for the funeral. I feel that he is a source of pride for us, he is still among us, alive. Although I don’t know who received his organs, I will always know that he is with us in spirit.”
Dr Bharat Shah, general secretary of ZTCC Mumbai, said organ donation numbers are slowly improving. “In just two months we already had 10 donors, and in one day we saw three donations. The social stigma and superstitions will still take time to disappear, but it is encouraging to see that smaller hospitals participate in donations,” he said.
He said Mumbai has 44 registered transplant centers along with several organ retrieval hospitals. “We need all the organs. The problem is the heart, lungs and liver. If patients do not receive them, they will not survive. Transplantation is the only hope,” he said.