Patients of Asian heritage needing a kidney transplant wait several months longer than white patients

The NHS is urging Asian families to use South Asian Heritage Month (18 July to 17 August) as an opportunity to discuss organ donation and register their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, as the need for more donors from those communities continues to grow.

Around 1,400 Asian patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant – the highest number for a decade, with the vast majority, 1200, waiting for a kidney transplant.

People of South Asian heritage have a significantly higher risk of developing kidney failure compared to other ethnic groups.

To meet the growing need of transplants for Asian heritage patients and reduce the time they must wait for a suitable donor – with the best organ match coming from a donor from the same ethnic background – NHSBT is urging people to register their decision and discuss it with their families.

The majority of families support donation going ahead if they know it's what their loved one wanted, or they had recorded a decision on the Organ Donor Register.

Currently, four out of five (80%) of organs transplanted into Asian heritage patients come from white donors.

A living donor, such as a family member - who is most likely to be a match - a friend, or someone they don't already know, can give one of their healthy kidneys to someone in need of a transplant.

Most people living with one kidney - whether born with a single kidney or having donated a kidney - are able to live long, healthy lives.

In most cases a kidney donated by a living donor offers the best long-term outcome for the recipient. Studies have shown that the average patient survival at 10 years is 90% with a living donor transplant compared to 75% after a deceased donor transplant.

Azeem's story

In 2019, kidney donor Azeem Ahmad (39) from Newcastle, donated his kidney to a transplant patient he didn’t know.

He said: "I knew there was a massive underrepresentation of Asian transplant donors so when I heard about an appeal for kidney donors it triggered something in me to go for it.

"I would never do anything that would put me at risk and the more I researched about organ donation ,and that I can go on with my life afterwards, the more sense it made – it was a logical decision to save someone’s life.

"I don't want to change people’s minds, I just want them to read information about the process and have an informed conversation, not just instinctively refuse to speak about death."

Statements

Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT’s director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation

"While there has been an overall decline in the number of people in the UK registering their decision to donate, encouragingly there has been a rise in the proportion of people of Asian heritage confirming their decision on the NHS organ Donor Register over the past five years.

“Of those that reported their ethnicity, just over 8,000 Asian people registered their decision to donate in 2023/24. However, we need this trend to continue to help save more lives.”

Co-founder of the South Asian Heritage Trust Jasvir Singh CBE

"South Asian Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what it means to be South Asian in Britain today.

“It's also a moment to reflect upon some of the urgent challenges people from South Asian backgrounds still face — including the critical shortage of organ donors. Far too many lives are lost waiting for a suitable match, and that can change if more people come forward.

"By becoming organ donors, we create new routes to hope, healing, and life for others. It is a form of giving back to others after we have moved on, and one of the most meaningful ways we can honour our roots while shaping a more compassionate future."

How you can help

Confirm your decision to donate via the NHS Organ Donor Register.