SYLLABUS

GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 

GS-3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Context: Annual organ transplants have increased nearly fourfold over the past decade, from fewer than 5,000 in 2013 to nearly 20,000 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

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• The transformation has been led by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), strengthened as the national coordinating authority for organ allocation and sharing.

• Public awareness has played a major role, with repeated appeals by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat programme helping normalize organ donation as a social responsibility.

• The Ministry describes the change as a shift toward a more ethical, transparent, and technology-enabled transplant ecosystem.

About the Organ Donation and Transplantation

• Organ donation and transplantation are the processes of removing a healthy organ from a donor and transplanting it into a person with organ failure. 

• It involves two surgeries — one to retrieve the organ and another to transplant it into the recipient.

• The procedure offers a second chance at life for people with life-threatening organ diseases, though demand far exceeds supply globally.

• Types of Organ Donation:

• Deceased Donor: Organs are donated after death by individuals who had consented during their lifetime, with doctors assessing organ viability before transplantation.
• Living Donor: A healthy person donates an organ or part of it while alive after strict medical evaluation and compatibility checks with the recipient.

Status of Organ Transplantation

• The number of organ transplants has risen from under 5,000 in 2013 to nearly 20,000 in 2025, marking a significant growth observed in transplant capacity.

• Around 18% of transplants now involve organs from deceased donors, indicating steady growth in cadaveric donation rates.

• In 2025 alone, over 1,200 families consented to organ donation after death, enabling multi-organ retrieval and saving thousands of lives.

• Since September 17, 2023, more than 4.8 lakh citizens have registered as organ donors through an Aadhaar-based digital verification system.

• India has developed strong capabilities in complex transplants such as heart, lung, and pancreas procedures, with outcomes comparable to global benchmarks at significantly lower costs.

• India ranks third globally in the total number of organ transplants, behind only the United States of America and China.

Legal Framework and Initiatives for Organ Donation in India

• The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994 is India’s primary legislation regulating organ transplantation. 

• It was enacted to prevent commercial trafficking and establish legal procedures for organ procurement. 
• The Act recognized brain-stem death as legal death, enabling cadaveric donation, and imposed strict penalties on the sale of human organs.

• The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, 2011 expanded the 1994 law by including tissues (such as skin, bone, cornea, and heart valves) along with organs, enabling a wider scope for transplantation.

• The Government of India has proposed a “One Nation, One Policy” for Organ Donation and Transplantation and initiated consultations with states. Key reforms include:

• Removal of the domicile requirement for registering patients for deceased donor organ transplants, allowing registration in any state.
• Removal of the upper age limit of 65 years for eligibility, enabling people of any age to register for deceased donor organs.

• Awareness and outreach initiatives include:

• Major campaigns like Angdaan Mahotsav and Angdaan Jan Jagrukta Abhiyan.
• Annual observance of Indian Organ Donation Day (3rd August) to honour donor families and recognise excellence in transplantation.

About the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation

• NOTTO is the apex national body for organ and tissue donation and transplantation in India, established under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act, 2011, and functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 

• It coordinates nationwide procurement, allocation, distribution, registry, policy guidelines, training, and awareness activities, and also acts as the nodal agency for Delhi and NCR. 

• NOTTO has two divisions: the National Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network and the National Biomaterial Centre (National Tissue Bank).

• The Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation are regional-level government organisations that act as an intermediate coordinating body between NOTTO and state agencies. 

• They are usually based in government hospitals and oversee organ procurement, allocation, and transplantation activities across multiple states.

• The State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation are state-level nodal agency responsible for coordinating organ donation and transplantation within individual states. 

• They work with hospitals, healthcare professionals, and government bodies to promote donor registration, manage organ allocation, ensure compliance with regulations, and spread awareness. 

Sources:
PIB
NOTTO
DD India
Organindia