VISAKHAPATNAM: Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday said the State is preparing a special action plan to develop 12 government hospitals as organ transplant centres in phases, to expand access to transplant surgery in the public sector.
Speaking at a state-level organ donation awareness programme organised by Jeevandan at the AU Convention Centre in Visakhapatnam commemorating National Organ Donation Day, the Minister said the government wants to strengthen transplant services in teaching hospitals so that poor patients are not forced to depend only on costly private care.
He announced that the plan includes expanding kidney transplant facilities in the first phase to teaching hospitals in Visakhapatnam, Palasa, Kurnool, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati and Kakinada.
The State is also examining a plan for liver transplants by 2028 and heart transplants in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Kurnool by 2030.
The Minister noted that only 31 organ transplant surgeries were performed in government hospitals in 2025, while the number of organs available remains far below the demand. As of Sunday, 5,935 people were on the waiting list for various organs in Andhra Pradesh.
He revealed that the government is considering increasing the financial support given to families of deceased organ donors from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Representatives of the Savitribai Phule Educational and Charitable Trust and the All India Body and Organ Donors Association had submitted a representation to the Minister seeking livelihood support for donor families.
The minister assured that the demand for a contract or outsourced job for an eligible family member of each deceased donor would be examined soon. The representation also called for awareness on organ and body donation in school and college curricula.
