MUMBAI: In a significant move to boost organ donation in India, the Centre has directed all states to train first responders — including police officers, ambulance drivers, and paramedics — to identify potential organ donors among road accident victims.
The directive, issued by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) last week, aims to bridge the gap between the number of potential donors and actual transplants. India’s organ donation rate currently stands at less than one deceased donor per million population, among the lowest globally.
According to NOTTO, a large proportion of road traffic accident victims suffer brain death, making them potential donors of vital organs such as the heart, lungs, pancreas, and intestines. However, many such opportunities are lost because brain death often goes unrecognized or victims are not referred in time to transplant-certified hospitals.
“As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India recorded 1.7 lakh road accident deaths in 2023. Many of these individuals could have become organ donors, but the lack of timely identification and coordination led to missed opportunities,” the NOTTO note stated.
NOTTO Director Dr. Anil Kumar said states have been advised to upgrade trauma centres with facilities for organ retrieval and to establish a communication system linking first responders with transplant coordinators in nearby hospitals. “This will ensure that potential donors are not lost due to delays in recognition or referral,” he said.
India currently ranks third globally, after the US and China, in the total number of deceased donations. However, considering its vast population and growing burden of organ failure, experts say the donation rate must rise significantly to meet demand.
Mumbai, which conducted the country’s first deceased kidney transplant in 1997, has emerged as a leader in promoting organ donation. The city registered about 60 deceased donations in 2024, and the figure so far this year stands at 44 donors — a steady improvement since the pandemic years.
Officials say the new initiative could transform India’s organ donation landscape if implemented effectively — turning tragedies on the road into opportunities to save lives.
