Ahmedabad Civil Hospital recorded its 250th deceased organ donation on 26 July 2025, after the family of Prasun Bhowmik, a 58-year-old West Bengal native working as a hotel waiter in Ahmedabad, consented to donate his organs following a brain death declaration. The milestone donation will enable life-saving transplants for three patients — one liver and two kidneys — at the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) on the Civil Medicity campus.

How the Milestone Came About

Bhowmik, who had been residing in Ahmedabad for work, suffered a severe head injury after a fall in his bathroom. He was rushed to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where doctors battled for two days before declaring him brain dead on 26 July.

The hospital's organ donation team, led by Dr Mohit Champavat, counselled Bhowmik's wife, Kshama, who agreed to donate his organs despite the family's grief. The retrieved liver and two kidneys have been allocated to patients already undergoing treatment at IKDRC.

Scale of the Hospital's Organ Donation Programme

The 250th donation is more than a symbolic number. According to Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi, the hospital has cumulatively received 827 organs from its 250 deceased donors — comprising 224 livers, 462 kidneys, 21 pancreases, 78 hearts, 34 lungs, 6 hands, and 2 small intestines.

An additional 198 eye donations and 48 skin donations have been recorded, bringing the hospital's total tally of donated organs and tissues to 1,073. Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and IKDRC have together emerged as Gujarat's primary public centres for deceased-donor organ retrieval and multi-organ transplantation.

What the Government Said

Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya called the achievement a moment of pride for the entire state. 'Ahmedabad Civil Hospital achieving the milestone of its 250th organ donation is a matter of immense pride for the entire state,' he said, adding that under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state government is 'continuously striving to spread the message that Organ Donation is the Greatest Donation to every section of society.'

He extended his 'heartfelt congratulations to the entire organ donation team and doctors at Civil Hospital' and saluted every donor family for their 'selfless decision.'

Dr Joshi echoed the sentiment, saying the milestone 'is not merely a number but a symbol of growing public awareness, increasing trust in doctors and the spirit of selfless service.'

Why This Matters for India's Organ Crisis

India faces a severe shortage of transplantable organs, with patients suffering from end-stage organ failure often waiting years for a suitable donor. Deceased or brain-dead donor programmes are critical to bridging this gap, as a single donor can save or improve the lives of multiple recipients simultaneously.

This is the context in which Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's trajectory — from its first deceased donor transplant to its 250th — carries national significance. The programme's growth reflects both improved medical infrastructure and, crucially, a gradual shift in public willingness to consent to organ donation in moments of family loss.

With Gujarat's public transplant infrastructure continuing to expand, the hospital's next targets will likely focus on increasing heart and lung retrieval rates, which remain significantly lower than kidney and liver numbers in its own donor pool.