Jaipur, July 4 -- More than 11 years after Rajasthan recorded its first deceased organ donation, the state has registered only 84 cadaveric donations, underscoring the wide gap between the growing demand for organs and the low rate of donations despite sustained awareness efforts. The need for organ donors remains acute, with more than 1,000 men, women and children on the transplant waiting list, according to the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO). Rajasthan's cadaveric (deceased) organ donation rate remains below one per million population, mirroring the national average. The state's first deceased organ donor was 7-year-old Mohit Kumar from Alwar district, whose family's decision to donate his organs after he was declared brain dead on February 6, 2015, saved two lives. Mohit had sustained a head injury in a road accident. Dr Rashmi Gupta, state appropriate authority (organ donation) under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, said several factors continue to hamper organ donation. "The common reasons for people hesitating to donate organs are the lack of awareness, their religious or cultural beliefs, concerns about disfigurement of the body after donation, opposition from the family, misconceptions and concerns about organ misuse or illegal trade." She said anyone above 18 years who is interested in organ donation can pledge their organs through the national registry under the Ayushman Bharat Organ Donation Registry or the state registry maintained by the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation. Explaining the process of organ donation, Dr Chitra Singh, joint director, SOTTO Rajasthan, said a battery of clinical and neurological tests is conducted on a patient who is on ventilator support. "A team of four doctors conducts these tests twice. Only after that the person is declared brain dead. After informing the family, we offer counselling and speak about organ donation. As per the national organ donation guidelines, consent of the family is mandatory." She added that only those organs are retrieved for which the family gives consent. Dr Singh said chronological age is not a barrier to organ donation. Medical teams evaluate the physiological health and functioning of organs before retrieval. Organs from elderly donors undergo longevity matching and are generally transplanted into older recipients....