THIRUVANTHAPURAM: From a crisis low of just 11 deceased organ donations in 2024, Kerala has clawed its way back to earn the Union government's national award for the 'State with Efficient Revival of Deceased Organ Donation Programme'. The award will be presented today at an event to mark the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day, organised by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
The state's deceased organ donor programme hit rock bottom in 2024, registering a sharp decline from 76 donations recorded in 2015. This was largely attributed to the erosion of public trust had as a result of frivolous petitions against hospitals and doctors involved in brain-death certification, as well as misleading portrayals of the process in movies.
In response, the government empowered the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (K-SOTTO) -- the nodal agency regulating the removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues in the state -- to restore credibility. Strengthening K-SOTTO as the state's transplant authority, while empowering the Mrithasanjeevani scheme, paved the way for the turnaround.
For the first time in the country, K-SOTTO formulated a unified protocol and standard operating procedures covering the entire process, from brain-death certification to transplantation. A digital portal, developed with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), ensured online patient registration, a centralised waiting list and transparent organ allocation. Zonal coordination systems were set up across three regions, and 166 licences were issued to 79 hospitals. Legal transparency was ensured through an expert legal counsel and a state-level technical committee to settle appeals.
Over the past year, K-SOTTO conducted extensive awareness campaigns and organised brain-death certification workshops for doctors. There were instances when families took the initiative themselves, shifting their brain-dead kin to hospitals with streamlined procedures.
"The public is fully aware of the importance of organ donations in saving lives," said Dr Noble Gracious, executive director of K-SOTTO. But that alone would not improve donation numbers without bringing hospitals into confidence, he said, adding that K-SOTTO focused on streamlining the process to help hospitals declare brain deaths in a timely manner.
Major changes were also made to transport and coordination -- the most critical link in the donation chain. A 24-hour taxi-ambulance network, backed by a special revolving fund, was launched for rapid delivery of organs, medical teams and samples. Green corridors were set up with the police, and state helicopters were deployed for emergency air transport. The government also decided to grant professional fees to medical teams working long hours during the process.
Awareness efforts included the 'Smriti Vandanam' project honouring donor families, the 'Jeevanekam Jeevanakam' social-media campaign, and doctor-training programmes. These reforms have enabled 347 transplant surgeries through 108 deceased donors over six years.