Analysis of organ donation ecosystem in India and recommendations

Abstract

There is a great need in India for human organs for transplantation. Currently the need far exceeds the supply of transplantable organs. This disparity has led to the formulation of multiple legislations, attempting to regulate the scarce resources and to help establish an equitable system to allocate the organs. Organ donation in India primarily comes under the ambit of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, which was introduced in 1994 and amended in 2014. There are multiple concerned stakeholders involved in the organ donation ecosystem namely Central and State Govt, Doctors, NGO's, Educating online platforms, donor families and recipients. According to the Indian law, Organ Transplantation is a State subject and is under the direct control of the respective State Governments and different states have different policies adding to the general confusion. As in many of the states the deceased organ donation programme involves public-private-NGO partnerships. However, the Union Health Ministry is responsible for providing an over-arching framework through the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, so that the organ transplantation system in the country runs effectively.