NEW DELHI: About 22 skin banks across India participated in a brainstorming session at AIIMS, New Delhi, to address long-standing challenges in skin donation -- from low public awareness and inadequate retrieval infrastructure to poor integration with organ donation systems.
Prof. Maneesh Singhal, head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at AIIMS, warned that the demand for skin grafts continues to far exceed supply, contributing to alarming outcomes. An estimated 150,000 burn patients die every year, while another 250,000 suffer lifelong disabilities due to delayed or insufficient treatment.
Participants noted that despite the high burden of burn injuries, the country's skin banking capacity remains fragmented and limited. Representatives from multiple centres reported frequent shortages of viable skin grafts, largely due to logistical hurdles, insufficient funding and a lack of trained retrieval teams. Several experts pointed out that skin must be retrieved within six hours of death -- a requirement nearly impossible to meet in regions with weak hospital networks.
The discussion also highlighted the significant lack of public awareness about skin donation. Unlike organ donation, which has gained visibility over the years, skin donation remains poorly understood and is often hindered by social hesitations and the absence of coordinated campaigns. Experts stressed that integrating skin donation into existing organ and tissue donation frameworks could help streamline processes.
Policy issues featured prominently, with officials from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation presenting a draft national registry aimed at standardising licensing norms, documentation and information-sharing.