MANGALURU: The Union Health Ministry has directed all States and Union Territories to strengthen transparency and accountability in kidney transplantation by ensuring comprehensive reporting of transplant outcomes and greater public disclosure by hospitals.
The directive follows a representation made by Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta to Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.
In an official communication dated June 19, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Dr Anil Kumar, referred to the MP's report prepared by Mangaluru residents Shyam Kamath and Dr Lionel de Souza, highlighting concerns over under-reported post-transplant mortality, complications and the absence of robust long-term outcome tracking, particularly in cadaveric kidney transplants.
Responding to the representation, NOTTO stated that the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry already maintains records of kidney transplant donors and recipients, including follow-up and outcome data.
According to the communication, 824 transplant centres across the country are linked to the registry and are required to upload transplant and follow-up information through designated login credentials.
The Director, however, instructed State authorities to ensure that all registered transplant hospitals submit complete and timely data to the national registry, stating that regular reporting would strengthen monitoring of transplant outcomes, improve traceability and support evidence-based policy decisions.
States have also been asked to direct transplant hospitals to prominently display post-transplant outcome data on the homepage of their websites in a prescribed format and to strictly adhere to informed consent requirements by ensuring that patients and their families are adequately informed about transplant procedures, associated risks and expected outcomes.
In his letter to the Union Health Minister, Chowta had called for a National Kidney Transplant Outcomes Registry, mandatory publication of long-term survival statistics by hospitals and stronger informed consent protocols.
He argued that greater transparency in cadaveric organ transplantation would improve public confidence while enabling patients and families to make informed decisions.
