The initiative of the Tamil Nadu government to accord state honours to brain-dead persons who donated organs has impacted the deceased donor transplant programme substantially, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said in a note.
Lauding the proactive initiatives of the State government in achieving significant progress in the organ transplant programme, the Directorate-General of Health Services said 461 State honours were accorded since the announcement was made in September 2023.
“This first-of-its-kind Government Order has impacted the program substantially. This befitting gesture has appealed to the collective psyche of the society,” a note on Tamil Nadu’s performance in the compilation of best practices of States in the organ transplant programme said.
The DGHS said in the note that the highest ever number of donations in Tamil Nadu occurred in 2024. As many as 1,500 organs and tissues were retrieved from 268 deceased donors which was the highest from one State in one year. “There has been a whopping 664% increase in the performance.”
The DGHS also referred to ‘honour walk’ for the deceased donor within the hospital campus, development of protocols for all the components of the programme, personal note of appreciation from Transplant Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) to centres/coordinators after every donation and periodic review at multiple levels.
“Deceased donor transplant program is a highly nuanced and complex program with many stakeholders and contributors.”
The measures taken proved to be of immense benefit. The programme reached new heights last year. 863 major organs, 637 minor organs and tissues were retrieved the 268 donors and successfully utilised.
“For the first time, contribution from government institutions exceeded that of private hospitals (54.48% from government hospitals and 45.52% from private hospitals). Deceased donations happened in 26 government institutions. There were donations even from remote colleges like Nilgiris Medical College,” the note said.
The contributions from Non-Transplant Organ Retrieval Centre was also impressive. There were 43 donations from NTORCs accounting for 16% of the total donations.
Published – August 03, 2025 11:57 pm IST
