Organ donation and transplantation in India

In India, regional reports highlight both the leadership and the structural challenges within the organ donation and transplantation systems.

In Tamil Nadu, Minister K. G. Arun Raj announced that the state contributes nearly one-third of India’s total deceased organ donations. To maintain public confidence and address recent kidney-trafficking scandals, the government has tightened procedures and vowed strict action against institutions involved in irregularities. The state also inaugurated a ‘Wall of Honour’ in Coimbatore to recognize donors.

In Telangana, despite ranking second in the country for organ donation relative to population, the state faces a significant shortage. Data from the Jeevandan programme shows that between 2013 and 2026, over 4,100 patients died while awaiting transplants. The system is characterized by a heavy reliance on private corporate hospitals, which contribute nearly 97% of deceased organ donations, while contributions from state-run hospitals remain negligible. This has concentrated services in Hyderabad, leading experts to call for the expansion of retrieval and transplant services to other districts to address critical shortages of organs such as livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts, and pancreases.