The 16th Indian Organ Donation Day (IODD) was observed today with the national event organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare at New Delhi. The event reaffirmed the Government's commitment to strengthening India's organ donation and transplantation programme while honouring the invaluable contribution of deceased organ donors and their families.

The programme was attended by the Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in the presence of Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Director General of Health Services Dr. Loveneesh G. Krishna, Director, NOTTO, Dr. Anil Kumar, senior officials of the Ministry, representatives from States and Union Territories, donor families, transplant recipients, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Smt. Anupriya Patel, described the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day as a celebration of the spirit of service and humanity. She said that organ donation is the highest expression of compassion, as it offers a second chance at life to those battling end-stage organ failure. She expressed her profound gratitude to the families of deceased organ donors, whose selfless decisions have inspired the nation and strengthened India's organ donation movement. She also appreciated the commendable efforts of several State Governments and encouraged them to continue sharing best practices to further enhance organ donation and transplantation services across the country.

Highlighting India's remarkable progress, the Union Minister stated that the country has crossed five lakh Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges since the launch of the national digital pledge portal in 2023. She attributed this growing public participation to the sustained awareness efforts of the Government and the inspiring appeal made by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which has encouraged citizens to come forward for organ donation while also promoting the timely and safe transportation of organs to recipients.

She noted that India has made significant strides in organ transplantation, with the number of transplants increasing from 4,990 in 2013 to over 20,000 in 2025, the highest ever recorded in a single year. India now ranks third globally in the total number of organ transplants, after the United States and China. She further highlighted that deceased donor transplants have increased from 837 in 2013 to more than 3,500 in 2025, while acknowledging that a substantial gap still exists between the demand for organs and their availability. She emphasized that addressing this gap remains a national priority.

The Union Minister observed that misconceptions surrounding organ donation continue to be a major challenge. She stressed that no major religion prohibits organ donation; rather, all faiths uphold the values of compassion, service and saving lives, making organ donation a noble humanitarian act.

Referring to the initiatives launched on the occasion, she said that the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and the National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation would help standardise practices and strengthen policy implementation across the country. She also highlighted the launch of the 'Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan (जुग जुग जियो अभियान)', a year-long nationwide awareness campaign aimed at taking the message of organ donation to every community and reinforcing that organ donation is the greatest gift of life, allowing the legacy of donors to live on through recipients.

She further stated that the Government has established a robust institutional network comprising NOTTO, five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs), 26 State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) and around 1,200 registered hospitals. To strengthen coordination among these stakeholders, the Government has launched 'e-प्रत्यारोपण', a unified digital platform that will create a seamless, transparent and efficient organ donation and transplantation ecosystem while enhancing trust among citizens.

Highlighting the Government's continued support under the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP), she said that financial assistance is being provided to States for strengthening infrastructure, donor maintenance, organ retrieval and transportation. She further noted that under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), kidney transplantation has been included in the Health Benefit Package, while financial assistance for economically weaker patients is also available under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. She added that the expanding network of over 20,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras is improving access to affordable medicines, including post-transplant medications.

Concluding her address, Smt. Patel underscored that while expanding transplantation services remains essential, the larger objective should be to reduce the need for organ transplants through disease prevention and healthier lifestyles. She said the Government has adopted a paradigm shift by integrating preventive and promotive healthcare with curative care through initiatives such as Yoga, Fit India Movement and other public health programmes. Referring to the Hon'ble Prime Minister's recent launch of the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign, she called upon citizens, particularly the youth, to avoid substance abuse and embrace healthy lifestyles, emphasising that prevention is the most effective way to safeguard health and reduce the burden of chronic diseases that often lead to organ failure.

Speaking at the Occasion, Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava expressed gratitude to donor families, transplant recipients, healthcare professionals, hospitals, States and Union Territories, NOTTO, ROTTOs, SOTTOs, and all stakeholders for their collective efforts in making India's organ donation movement stronger and more impactful.

Referring to the initiatives launched on the occasion, she said that the 'e-प्रत्यारोपण' platform, NOTTO Mobile Application, and the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation would simplify processes, improve transparency and coordination, and further strengthen the organ donation and transplantation ecosystem.

Highlighting the progress made under the programme, she stated that the NOTTO-ROTTO-SOTTO network now spans 31 States and Union Territories, enabling better coordination among hospitals for efficient organ procurement and allocation. She also informed that the Government has decentralised the authority for hearing appeals, making the system more efficient and time-bound.

She further highlighted that, in addition to AIIMS New Delhi, ten new AIIMS are now providing kidney transplantation services. Of these, AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, AIIMS Patna and AIIMS Rishikesh have also initiated liver transplantation, while AIIMS Bhopal has commenced heart transplantation, expanding access to advanced transplant care across the country.

Recalling the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's remarks during the 131st episode of Mann Ki Baat that "awareness about organ donation is steadily rising", she said the 'Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan' launched today embodies this vision and will further strengthen awareness and public participation. She urged States and Union Territories to fully utilise the support available under the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) to further expand organ donation and transplantation services.

Director General of Health Services Dr. Loveneesh G. Krishna stated, that the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day is a day of gratitude to honour organ donors and their families and celebrate the gift of life. He noted that the day commemorates India's first successful deceased organ transplant performed on 3rd August 1994.

He said that the initiatives launched on the occasion would strengthen the organ donation ecosystem through greater awareness, improved coordination and enhanced transparency. Urging citizens to promote deceased organ donation, he appealed to everyone to pledge their organs and tissues and become a part of this life-saving movement.

The occasion witnessed the launch of several landmark initiatives aimed at strengthening India's organ donation and transplantation ecosystem through enhanced public awareness, digital transformation and policy reforms.

Leading the initiatives, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Smt. Anupriya Patel launched the 'Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan (जुग जुग जियो अभियान)', a nationwide public awareness campaign designed to promote organ donation as a life-saving act and reinforce the message that the legacy of donors lives on through the recipients of their organs and tissues. The campaign seeks to expand awareness on organ donation to every village across the country through sustained public engagement and community participation.

The Union Minister also launched 'e-प्रत्यारोपण', a unified, secure, transparent and technology-driven national digital platform that digitally integrates hospitals, doctors, donors, recipients and other stakeholders onto a single seamless network. The platform consolidates registration, wait-list management, organ allocation, monitoring and public information services into one integrated digital ecosystem, marking a transformative step towards a more efficient, transparent and technology-enabled organ donation and transplantation programme.

Further strengthening digital service delivery, the new NOTTO Mobile Application was launched to provide citizens, transplant professionals, hospitals and administrators with easier access to organ donation and transplantation-related services and information.

In a significant policy initiative, the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and the National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation were also released. These guidelines provide a practical framework for transplant professionals and support States and Union Territories in implementing a robust, ethical and efficient organ donation and transplantation programme. They are expected to strengthen the national transplantation ecosystem and facilitate wider access to safe, equitable and high-quality transplantation services across the country.

The event also witnessed the release of the NOTTO Annual Report 2025–26, which presents a comprehensive account of the progress achieved under India's organ donation and transplantation programme. The report highlights that 20,138 organ transplants were performed in 2025, the highest ever recorded in a single year, representing a fourfold increase from 4,990 transplants in 2013 and a 6.5 per cent increase over 18,911 transplants in 2024. India continues to rank third globally in the total number of organ transplants while retaining the first position worldwide in living donor organ transplants. Deceased donor organ transplants also recorded substantial growth, increasing more than fourfold from 837 in 2013 to 3,526 in 2025. During the year, over 2.58 lakh citizens pledged to donate their organs and tissues, reflecting growing public awareness and participation in the national movement. The key statistics of the year 2025 is annexed below.

The latest edition of the NOTTO e-Newsletter, highlighting the activities, achievements and best practices of NOTTO, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) during the year, was also released on the occasion.

As part of the celebrations, the National Organ Donation Awards were presented to States, Union Territories, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs), hospitals, transplant professionals and other stakeholders for their outstanding contribution towards strengthening organ donation and transplantation services in the country. PGIMER, Chandigarh was conferred the award for the Best Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) – Northern Region. Tamil Nadu was recognised as the Best State for recording the highest number of deceased organ donors, while Assam received the award for the Best State in the North Eastern Region. Delhi was honoured as the Best Union Territory. Awards were also presented to hospitals for excellence in organ transplantation and organ retrieval, transplant professionals and other stakeholders in recognition of their exemplary efforts in advancing the national organ donation programme.

The event also paid tribute to deceased organ donors and recognised the extraordinary generosity of their families whose selfless decisions have given a new lease of life to thousands of patients. Donor families from across the country were felicitated for their invaluable contribution to humanity.

Background

Indian Organ Donation Day, is organized to commemorate the first successful heart transplant in India performed on 3rd August 1994 at AIIMS, New Delhi after the promulgation of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA) 1994.

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