SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
India has registered a historic fourfold increase in organ transplants, rising from less than 5,000 in 2013 to nearly 20,000 in 2025, according to a February 2026 update from the Ministry of Health. Under the stewardship of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), the country has matured into a technology-enabled, ethical transplant ecosystem where 18% of transplants are now performed using organs from deceased donors. Since September 2023, more than 4.8 lakh citizens have registered as donors through an Aadhaar-based verification system, reflecting a massive shift in societal attitudes catalyzed by the Prime Minister’s “Mann Ki Baat” address.
Beyond volume, India has achieved global competence in complex procedures, leading the world in hand transplants and demonstrating outcomes in heart, lung, and pancreas transplants that rival the best international standards at a fraction of the cost.
Key Pillars of India’s Transplant Transformation
Digital Integration & Registry: Modernizing the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Registry to ensure transparency, fairness, and real-time organ allocation.
Decentralized Coordination: Strengthening State (SOTTO) and Regional (ROTTO) organizations to enable seamless inter-state cooperation.
Logistical Innovation: Promoting Green Corridors and standardized transport SOPs to ensure rapid and safe organ delivery across cities.
Societal Advocacy & Trust: Engaging Panchayati Raj Institutions and youth through awareness campaigns to transform organ donation into a “National Movement”.
Multiorgan Focus: Shifting toward multiorgan donation as a standard family right, maximizing the life-saving potential of every donor.
What is the “National Organ & Tissue Transplant Registry”? The National Organ & Tissue Transplant Registry is a centralized, digital backbone that ensures ethical and equitable organ distribution across India. By utilizing Aadhaar-based verification for donor registration, the registry eliminates fraud and ensures that organ allocation is based strictly on medical urgency and fair-use protocols. It provides a real-time bridge between hospitals, state coordinators, and waiting patients, allowing the system to respond instantly when a donor becomes available, thereby reducing the “wastage” of viable organs and reinforcing public trust in the integrity of the transplant process.
Policy Relevance
For India, this milestone represents a transition from “Transplant Tourism” to “Healthcare Self-Reliance,” anchoring advanced medical procedures in an indigenous, ethical framework.
Standardizing “Affordable Excellence”: Performing complex transplants at a fraction of global costs acts as a “Standard Maker” move, positioning India as the world’s hub for high-value, ethical medical procedures.
Bypassing Logistical Barriers: The use of Green Corridors and Digital Portals allows India to bypass the geographical isolation of waiting patients, ensuring a heart or lung can travel thousands of kilometers in hours.
Operationalizing “Health for All”: Aadhaar-integrated registration ensures that the transplant system is equitable, preventing the concentration of life-saving resources in elite urban centers.
Federal Resilience via SOTTOs: Empowering regional and state organizations ensures that “Implementation Fidelity” is maintained at the block level, as identified in the VVP-II roadmap.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and UIDAI utilize the transplant registry to integrate 'organ donor' status into the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) for immediate identification by emergency clinicians?
Follow the full update here: India's Landmark Progress in Organ Donation