India drafts new organ donation guidelines to tackle shortage
India is drafting fresh guidelines to tackle its organ shortage, with the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) leading the way.
The goal? To help more of the over 70,000 patients registered and waiting for a kidney alone, especially since only about 2,000 kidneys from deceased donors become available annually.
India frames DCD and clarifies rules
A big update is the framing of donation after circulatory death (DCD), which means organs can be donated by people whose hearts have stopped, not just those with brain-stem death. This could really boost donor numbers.
The new rules will also clear up how hospitals handle brain-stem death donations and organ swaps.
Plus, experts are pushing for better laws, faster organ retrieval methods, and smoother distribution so donated organs actually reach those who need them most.