HYDERABAD: Telangana was honoured as the best state for organ and tissue transplantation, by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday, receiving the prestigious award for its outstanding achievements. The accolade was presented during the 14th Indian Organ Donation Day ceremony, organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) in New Delhi.
This recognition celebrates Telangana’s remarkable Jeevandan Cadaver Transplantation programme, which has facilitated over 5,000 organ donation and 550 transplantation in the state since its inception in 2012.
According to the Health Department’s latest report, the Jeevandan initiative has successfully retrieved 5,541 organs and tissues from 1,456 cadaveric donors and performed 550 transplants free of charge under the Arogyasri health scheme.
Currently, 40 government hospitals across the state are authorised to perform transplants, including prominent institutions such as the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital, with NIMS serving as the designated authority for cadaver transplantation (AACT).
The Jeevandan programme operates in compliance with the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA-1994), implementing various initiatives such as hospital licensing, coordinator training, an online portal and awareness programmes.
In 2023, Telangana achieved a notable donation rate of 5.48% per million population (PMP), against India’s average organ donation rate of 0.8 pmp for the year.
On National Organ Donation Day, Jeevandan honoured 143 donor families at Gandhi Medical College, acknowledging their contributions.
The union ministry of health and family welfare on Sunday recognised Telangana as the best state/best state organ and tissue transplantation organisation (SOTTO) and presented the award for the same.
Statistics for 2023-24, reveal that 200 donors donated 729 organs - 287 kidneys, 173 liver, 15 hearts, 176 cornea, 76 lungs and two pancreas. For 2024 so far, 103 donors have donated 421 organs - 170 kidneys, 100 livers, 15 hearts, 94 corneas and 42 lungs - bringing the total for 2023 and 2024 to 1,150 combined organs from 303 donors.
From 2013 to July 2024, the highest number of cadaveric transplantations were recorded at NIMS with 452, followed by Osmania General Hospital with 83, Gandhi Hospital with 14, and ESCI with 1. In total, there were 550 transplantations, including 499 kidneys, 36 livers, 12 hearts, two lungs, and one pancreas from 42 donors.
As of July, the state has achieved a 58% increase in organ donations compared to the previous year, the health department added.