Kidney Transplant: Why Years of Wait? Cost, Causes & Prevention Revealed by Expert

• Kidney transplant is needed when kidney function drops below 10%, with diabetes being the biggest cause, followed by high blood pressure and other conditions.
• In India, 1.75-2 lakh people need a kidney transplant annually, but only 13,476 received one in 2024, leading to years of waiting.
• The long wait is due to a lack of living donors, societal misconceptions about donation, and very low organ donation rates from deceased individuals.
• A kidney transplant costs approximately 5 to 6 lakh rupees, performed in super-specialty hospitals, requiring lifelong medication post-procedure.
• To avoid a transplant, Dr. Sagar Gupta advises a healthy lifestyle, avoiding unhealthy foods, regular exercise, and annual kidney check-ups after age 25.