Executive Summary:
This document is a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 956 regarding kidney transplants in India, answered on July 25, 2025. It provides data on kidney patients and transplants, details existing organ transplant guidelines and rules, addresses concerns about the safety of transplants from non-family donors, and discusses measures to prevent malpractices in organ transplantation. Data as of July 21, 2025, and transplant figures for 2024 are included.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Kidney Transplant Data:**
* As of July 21, 2025, 71,748 patients are registered in the NOTTO registry as recipients for deceased donor kidneys.
* Annexure details the number of kidney transplants performed in each State/UT in 2024.
* **Organ Transplant Guidelines and Rules:**
* The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (amended in 2011) and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014 regulate organ transplantation.
* These define procedures for organ retrieval, storage, and transplantation and aim to prevent commercial dealings in organs.
* Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines are available at NOTTO website for uniform implementation of the program.
* **Safety and Durability & Malpractices**
* Outcome of kidney transplants depends on factors like age, sex, BMI, blood group matching, HLA matching, disease severity and comorbidities.
* Health and law order are State subjects. States/UTs are responsible for preventing illegal organ trading and monitoring transplantation activities, as per the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, which provides for the appointment of Appropriate Authorities.
* **Government Support:**
* The government encourages States to strengthen their transplantation programs and offers assistance through the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP).
* NOTP provides grants to States for establishing ROTTOs and SOTTOs, infrastructure augmentation, hiring transplant coordinators, organ transport, medicines, training, and awareness activities.
Impact Analysis:
* **Kidney Patients:**
* *Impact:* Provides information on the number of registered patients awaiting kidney transplants.
* *Action Required:* Register with NOTTO to be considered for deceased donor transplants.
* **State Governments/UTs:**
* *Impact:* Clarifies responsibilities for preventing illegal organ trading and monitoring transplantation activities.
* *Action Required:* Appoint Appropriate Authorities to investigate complaints and take action against violations of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994. Proactively strengthen transplantation programs at the State level and seek assistance from the Centre through NOTP.
* **Hospitals and Doctors:**
* *Impact:* Provides guidelines and regulations for organ transplantation to prevent malpractices.
* *Action Required:* Adhere to the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 and related rules and SOPs available on the NOTTO website.
* **National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO):**
* *Impact:* Functions as the central body for organ and tissue transplantation activities in the country.
* *Action Required:* Maintain the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry (NOTTR) and provide support and grants to States for strengthening their transplantation programs.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The government ministry responsible for health policy in India.
SHRI ANIL YESHWANT DESAI: Member of Parliament who raised the question about kidney transplants.
SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV: The Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare who provided the answer.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry (NOTTR): A national registry maintained by NOTTO for patients awaiting organ transplants.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO): The national organization responsible for organ and tissue transplantation in India.
The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994: The Indian law regulating organ and tissue transplantation.
Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014: Rules notified under The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994
National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP): A national program to strengthen transplantation activities.
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 956
TO BE ANSWERED ON25THJULY, 2025
KIDNEYTRANSPLANT
956. SHRIANILYESHWANTDESAI:
Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) the details of the data on kidney patients and kidney transplant in the country,
State/UTwise;
(b) whether the Government has issued any guidelines/rules regarding organ transplant in the
countryandif so, the detailsthereof;
(c) whether there are any reservations about durability and safety of kidney transplant out of
familywith regardandif so, the detailsthereof; and
(d) whether there are any reports about malpractices adopted by kidney racketeers active in
connivancewith some doctorsandhospitals andif so, the detailsthereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)
(a) The exact number of patients who are suffering from end stage renal disease
requiring kidney transplant is not reported. However, the number of patients registered in the
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry (NOTTR) maintained by National Organ and
Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), as recipient to receive kidney from deceased
donor is 71748 as on 21.07.2025. The details of the kidney transplant performed in the
country, State/UT- wise for the year2024 isattachedat Annexure.
(b) The Government of India has enacted The Transplantation of Human Organs and
Tissues Act, 1994 (amended in 2011) and notified the Transplantation of Human Organs and
Tissues Rules, 2014, for regulation of removal, storage and transplantation of human organs
and tissues for therapeutic purposes and for prevention of commercial dealing in human
organs and tissues. The aforesaid Act and Rules define the procedures with regard to organretrieval and transplantation. Further, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) available at
(https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/sop.htm) and following guidelines
(https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/guidelines.htm) have been issued with an aim for uniform
implementation of the programme:
i. NOTPoperationalguidelines
ii. UpdatedNOTPoperationalguidelines
iii. Updatedallocationcriteria for kidney
iv. Updatedallocationcriteria for liver
v. Allocationcriteria for heart,lungandheart-lung
vi. Allocationcriteria for cornea
vii. NOTTOtransplant manual
viii. National course curriculum for transplant coordinators
(c) & (d) Health and law & order are State subjects. It is primarily the responsibility of the
respective States/UTs to take action for prevention and control of illegal organ
trading/commercial dealings in organs and monitor the same. Transplantation of Human
Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA) 1994 provides for Appropriate Authority (ies), for the
purposes of this Act, to be appointed by respective State Government. The State Appropriate
Authority is empowered under the Act to investigate any complaint of breach of any of the
provisions of thisAct or anyof the rulesmade thereunder andtake appropriate action.
Regarding durability and safety of kidney transplant ,outcome of a transplant depends on
many factorslike age,sex, Body Mass Index, bloodgroup matching, HLAmatching, severity
of the disease, comorbidities etc.
States are encouraged to take proactive actions to further strengthen the transplantation
programme at State level. States may seek necessary assistance from the Centre through
NOTP. Under NOTP, grants are provided to States depending upon the proposals received,
for establishing ROTTOs and SOTTOs, augmenting infrastructure in public sector for setting
up Organ Transplant/Retrieval Centers and Tissue Banks, hiring of Transplant Coordinators
by Government Medical Colleges and Trauma Centers, maintenance of deceased donors,
organ transport, post- transplant immune-suppressant medicines, carrying out awareness,
trainingandcapacity buildingactivitiesetc.Annexure
Numberof kidneytransplantsperformed inthecountry,State/UT- wise forthe year
2024(asreported bytheStates/UT)
S.No. State/UT Total
1. AndamanNicobar Island 0
2. Andhra Pradesh 410
3. Arunachal Pradesh 0
4. Assam 70
5. Bihar 31
6. Chandigarh 317
7. Chhattisgarh 76
8. DHN&DD 0
9. Delhi 2490
10. Goa 10
11. Gujarat 1018
12. Haryana 118
13. Himachal Pradesh 9
14. Jammu andKashmir 48
15. Jharkhand 9
16. Karnataka 516
17. Kerala 1139
18. Ladakh 0
19. Lakshadweep 0
20. Madhya Pradesh 318
21. Maharashtra 1461
22. Manipur 40
23. Meghalaya 0
24. Mizoram 0
25. Nagaland 0
26. Odisha 180
27. Puducherry 61
28. Punjab 466
29. Rajasthan 604
30. Sikkim 0
31. TamilNadu 1796
32. Telangana 821
33. Tripura 2
34. Uttar Pradesh 447
35. Uttarakhand 16
36. West Bengal 1003
****