India Achieves Record 20,138 Organ Transplants in 2025, Crossing 5 Lakh Organ Donation Pledges

NEW DELHI, Aug 3: India has registered its highest ever annual organ transplant performance, completing 20,138 transplant procedures in 2025, marking a significant milestone in the country’s healthcare journey. Alongside the record achievement, more than five lakh citizens have submitted Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges since the national digital pledge portal was introduced in 2023, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel announced on Monday.

Speaking at the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day event organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Patel said India’s transplant programme has expanded rapidly over the past decade. The country now ranks third globally in overall organ transplant numbers, behind only the United States and China, while continuing to hold the top position in living donor organ transplantation.

According to the minister, annual transplant procedures have increased more than fourfold, rising from 4,990 in 2013 to 20,138 in 2025. During the same period, deceased donor transplants also witnessed remarkable progress, growing from 837 cases to 3,526.

Patel credited the steady rise in organ donation awareness to nationwide campaigns and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated appeals encouraging citizens to register as organ donors. She noted that crossing the five lakh milestone in verified pledges reflects increasing public participation, although the demand for organs still far exceeds their availability.

To further modernise the country’s transplant framework, the minister unveiled the year-long ‘Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan’, the e-Pratyaropan digital platform, and the NOTTO mobile application. These initiatives aim to improve transparency, streamline coordination, and simplify access to organ donation and transplantation services across India.

The Health Ministry also released the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and the National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation, which are expected to bring greater uniformity in medical procedures and strengthen implementation by state authorities.

Addressing persistent myths surrounding organ donation, Patel said no major religion prohibits the practice and described organ donation as a humanitarian act capable of giving critically ill patients a new lease on life.

She highlighted the government’s expanding institutional network, which includes NOTTO, five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTOs), 26 State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs), and nearly 1,200 registered hospitals. A unified digital platform has also been introduced to improve coordination among these institutions and enhance transparency in organ allocation.

Patel said the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) continues to provide financial support to states for strengthening transplant infrastructure, donor maintenance, organ retrieval, and transportation systems.

She further noted that kidney transplantation has been incorporated into the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) health benefit package. Financial assistance under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi is also available for economically weaker patients, while the expanding network of over 20,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras is improving access to affordable post-transplant medicines.

Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the integrated NOTTO-ROTTO-SOTTO network now covers 31 States and Union Territories, enabling better coordination in organ procurement and allocation. She added that, besides AIIMS New Delhi, 10 newly established AIIMS now offer kidney transplant services, while AIIMS Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, Patna and Rishikesh have started liver transplant programmes. AIIMS Bhopal has also begun performing heart transplants, reflecting the steady expansion of advanced transplant facilities across the country.