New Delhi: Only around 15% of India’s registered organ transplant centres are government-run, with the vast majority operating in the private sector. According to Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), this disparity stems from high treatment costs, infrastructural constraints, and low awareness—factors that hinder the growth of transplants in public hospitals.
Currently, out of 986 transplant centres registered in India, nearly 85% are privately managed. Despite a modest increase in the total number of transplants in 2024—estimated at 18,711 compared to 18,378 in 2023—the majority of these procedures were conducted in private hospitals, Dr. Kumar told ThePrint.
NOTTO, the central agency under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, oversees organ donation and transplant activities nationwide. While the 2024 data is yet to be officially released, it shows minimal growth from the past few years: 16,041 transplants in 2022 and 16,672 in 2021.
Barriers in Government Hospitals
Government institutions continue to lag due to systemic limitations. Dr. H.S. Mahapatra of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital outlined several barriers, including overcrowded facilities, limited operation theatre access, and staff shortages.
“We currently have no dedicated transplant operation theatres. If one OT is under repair, a transplant gets cancelled. Ideally, we should be conducting surgeries three times a week, but now we manage only four per month,” said Dr. Mahapatra.
He added that the hospital has a monthly waiting list of 50 patients, with delays often stretching to six months. “Sadly, some patients don’t survive the wait.”
A lack of specialised ICUs is another hurdle. However, by September 2025, RML Hospital expects to inaugurate a super-speciality block with two transplant OTs and 20 ICU beds dedicated to transplant patients, which could significantly increase surgical capacity.
Manpower, Awareness, and Brain Death Declarations
Dr. Kumar noted that government hospitals face a shortage of trained surgeons and staff, compounded by fixed duty hours unlike the flexible schedules in private hospitals. He also stressed the need for public education on brain death and organ donation.
“Many families do not understand brain stem death or what organ donation entails. We also need neurosurgeons and anesthetists to be trained in identifying and declaring brain death more consistently,” he said.
Deceased Donor Gap and Regional Trends
Despite a growing number of procedures, the gap between organ demand and donor availability persists. In 2024, India recorded around 1,128 deceased donors, resulting in approximately 3,236 transplants. This is encouraging but far from adequate, with the country needing at least 1,400 deceased donors annually to reach a rate of 1 donor per million people.
Dr. Kumar highlighted that each deceased donor can save up to eight lives and improve many more through tissue donations. Yet, awareness and cultural misconceptions remain major barriers.
States like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka have led in deceased donor contributions. Meanwhile, the Delhi-NCR region accounted for nearly 24% of India’s total transplants in 2024—but only 3% of those were from deceased donors, mirroring trends from 2023.
Government Support and Future Plans
To address these challenges, NOTTO continues its outreach campaigns to boost donor registration and awareness. The organisation also runs the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP), which provides financial aid for creating and upgrading transplant centres, retrieval facilities, and tissue banks.
Poor patients are eligible for post-transplant immunosuppressant support of up to ₹10,000 per month. Additionally, the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) offers up to ₹15 lakh for organ transplant procedures. Kidney transplants are also covered under the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme for eligible beneficiaries.
States such as Bihar, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry have received central funding to strengthen their transplant infrastructure.
Dr. Kumar expressed optimism, stating that although the public sector still faces many hurdles, ongoing investments, training, and awareness efforts are expected to boost capacity and access to transplants across the country.
