In 10 years, three-fold increase in organ donation cases in India

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, during a review meeting over the organ donation policy, said that far-sighted structural changes are in the offing to reform the organ donation and organ transplant sector

New Delhi: India has registered a remarkable increase in organ transplants from 5,000 cases in 2013 to more than 15,000 in 2022. This disclosure was made during a review meeting over the organ donation policy chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

"Now, more organs per deceased donor are being utilised due to better coordination through the network of Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation at National (NOTTO), Regional (ROTTO), and State level (SOTTO). In 2016, 2265 organs were utilised from 930 deceased donors while 2,765 could be utilized from 904 deceased donors in the year 2022," said Mandaviya.

Official data shows that the total number of registered organ donors in the country was 4,49,760 as of March 20, 2023. Mandaviya said that far-sighted structural changes are in the offing to reform the organ donation and organ transplant sector. He also gave direction to this effect. The meeting on organ transplants was attended by senior officials from the health ministry. Mandaviya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to the countrymen to come forward for the noble cause of organ donation for saving the lives of fellow human beings in the 99th episode of Mann Ki Baat programme has also given a fresh impetus to organ donation in the country.

The health minister also directed imbibing learnings from international standards for further policy reforms towards the augmentation of organ donation and transplantation in the country. NOTTO is working on a transplant manual as a step-by-step guide for the implementation of organ donation and transplantation programme in hospitals and also on a standard course for the training of transplant coordinators.

Recently, the government of India granted special casual leave of up to 42 days to central government employees, who donate an organ to another human being, as a special welfare measure in public interest.