Explained: New Organ Transplantation Guidelines In India

In a recent move aimed at improving the organ donation and transplantation system in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced several changes to the National Organ Transplantation Guidelines. It was done to permit individuals over the age of 65 to receive organs from deceased donors for transplantation.

The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 in India regulates the removal and storage of human organs, as well as the transplantation of organs for therapeutic purposes and to prevent the illicit trade of human organs.

Organ Transplantation in India

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India is the world's third-largest country in terms of the number of transplants performed. As of 2022, organs from deceased donors accounted for almost 17.8% of all transplants, and the total number of deceased organ transplants has risen from 837 in 2013 to 2,765 in 2022.

The total number of organ transplants (including both deceased and living donors) has also increased from 4,990 in 2013 to 15,561 in 2022.

Despite these improvements, the number of people requiring transplants remains high, with an estimated 1.5-2 lakh people needing a kidney transplant each year. However, in 2022, only around 10,000 people received a kidney transplant. T

The situation is similar for liver and heart transplants, with less than 3,000 liver transplants and only 250 heart transplants being performed in 2022, despite 80,000 people requiring a liver transplant and 10,000 needing a heart transplant.

What do new guidelines say?

The changes include the removal of the age limit for organ transplant recipients, the elimination of the requirement for patients to be domiciled in a specific state to register for an organ transplant, and the elimination of registration fees for organ transplant recipients.

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Under the previous guidelines established by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), patients over the age of 65 suffering from end-stage organ failure were prohibited from registering to receive an organ for transplantation.

This age limit has now been removed, as people are living longer and the demand for organ transplantation is increasing. This move is expected to make organ transplantation more accessible to a wider population.

Furthermore, the ministry has removed the domicile requirement for registering as an organ recipient in a particular state, as part of the 'One Nation, One Policy' initiative. Now, patients can register to receive an organ transplant in any state of their choice and will also be able to undergo surgery there. This is expected to reduce the waiting time for organ transplantation and provide greater access to life-saving surgeries.

Lastly, the ministry has eliminated the registration fee for organ transplant recipients. The Centre has asked states that used to charge for registration to stop doing so to make organ transplantation more affordable and accessible.

Certain states had previously charged a fee for registration, with some asking for as much as Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to register a patient on the organ recipient waitlist.

How will it improve the scenario?

These changes are expected to make the organ donation and transplantation system more inclusive and equitable, reducing the burden on patients and their families while improving access to life-saving surgeries. The ministry is committed to improving the healthcare system in India and ensuring that every patient has access to high-quality medical care.

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The Centre is planning to create a national policy for transplantation by making changes in the rules of the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011.

Currently, different states have different rules, and the central government is considering changes to create a standard criterion followed in all states. However, as health is a state subject, the rules will not be binding on the states.

The purpose of these changes is to improve access to organs and promote cadaver donations, which currently form a small fraction of all organ transplants in India.