Tamil Nadu Records Steady Growth in Skin and Bone Donations

Speedy Summary

• Skin and bone donations from deceased donors are gradually increasing in Tamil Nadu, though more public awareness is needed.
• Data from Transtan indicates a steady rise in donations:

– Skin Donations: 16 (2022), 23 (2023), 77 (2024), 36 so far in 2025.
– Bone Donations: 50 (2022), 57 (2023), 111 (2024), 80 so far in 2025.

• prof. P. Nellaiappar highlighted the notable role of donated skin in treating burn victims, noting it can be preserved for up to five years and is crucial between the third and eighth days post-burn injuries.
• Prof. B. Pasupathy addressed concerns about disfigurement related to bone donation, explaining that recovered bones are replaced with materials to maintain appearance and benefit trauma or malignancy patients.
• N.Gopalakrishnan emphasized the need for sensitizing both families of brain-dead individuals and medical professionals on the importance of these donations.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The gradual increase in skin and bone donations reflects progress but also underscores a pressing need for greater awareness among families, medical professionals, and society at large regarding its benefits for critical treatment cases such as burns, trauma, or malignancies requiring reconstructive efforts.Dispelling myths around disfigurement remains key to improving donor acceptance rates further.

The betterment seen over recent years signals that proactive dialog strategies have begun making an impact; however, greater effort towards education campaigns could unlock untapped potential across Tamil Nadu’s population base for life-altering contributions through deceased donations.

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