NEW DELHI: India needs to conduct at least one lakh kidney transplants annually, but current figures show only 13,476 kidney transplants were performed in 2024. This leaves a significant number of patients suffering from kidney dysfunction, with many either enduring chronic health issues or, tragically, dying due to complications. Patients with end-stage organ failure in other systems are facing similar challenges. In light of this, the government recently held a review meeting to evaluate the obstacles hindering organ transplant procedures in the country.
A government report, reviewed by TOI, highlights findings from a recent review conducted by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) on organ transplant activities in government hospitals. The report suggests that all government medical colleges and associated hospitals, including trauma centres, should establish organ retrieval facilities, even if they don’t conduct transplants themselves.
Additionally, the report strongly recommends that liver and heart transplants—including the lifelong cost of immunosuppressive drugs for transplant recipients—be fully included under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
The review meeting, chaired by Dr. Anil Kumar, head of NOTTO, included over 130 medical superintendents, transplant centre nodal officers, surgeons, and other key stakeholders.
Despite having extensive infrastructure and high patient volumes, especially in trauma and critical care units, government hospitals are in a prime position to bolster the national deceased organ donation programme. However, the meeting revealed that many government institutions, even with licences to perform organ transplants, are not performing them at adequate levels. In some cases, the number of deceased organ donations is either nonexistent or very low.
For instance, government institutions like IKDRC Ahmedabad (with 508 total organ transplants in 2024, including 195 from cadaveric donations) and PGIMER Chandigarh (320 total transplants, including 55 cadaveric) performed well. On the other hand, institutions like GB Pant Hospital in New Delhi, despite having the required infrastructure and a transplant licence, did not carry out any transplants.
The meeting concluded that before investing in new transplant or retrieval centres, it is essential to evaluate the current centres and identify the factors preventing their optimal functioning.
Several centres also reported insufficient funds to initiate or restart specialized transplant programmes, such as lung transplants, which require expensive equipment and preservatives. The high cost of immunosuppressant drugs, which transplant recipients need to take for life, was also a significant concern raised during the meeting.
To address these issues, NOTTO has proposed a system of financial incentives for key transplant and organ donation team members, including surgeons and coordinators, for each successful transplant or organ retrieval case.
