Context: A June 19 report by the Union Health Ministry revealed that India’s organ transplant programme is severely hampered by poor infrastructure, low funding, and specialist shortages. Government hospitals are unable to meet transplant demands due to ICU bed shortages and lack of dedicated facilities.
Relevance: GS 2 (Health ), GS 3 ( Infrastructure)
- Severe Infrastructure Gaps:
Many government hospitals lack dedicated transplant OTs, transplant ICUs, and basic infrastructure for organ retrieval and transplantation. - ICU Bed Shortage:
Critical shortage of ICU beds hampers the ability to preserve brain-stem dead donors, especially in overcrowded trauma centres. - Low Transplant Numbers:
Only 13,476 kidney transplants were performed in 2024 against a recommended one lakh—highlighting a massive demand-supply gap. - Shortage of Specialists:
A dearth of trained transplant surgeons and support staff limits the capacity of public hospitals to scale up organ transplant services. - Funding Deficiencies:
Insufficient government funding affects both infrastructure expansion and patient support, especially for post-transplant medication. - Need for New Centres:
The report emphasized the urgent requirement to create new government transplant centres to meet national targets. - Patient Burden:
Many patients struggle with lifelong immunosuppressant costs, as financial aid mechanisms are inadequate. - Administrative Bottlenecks:
Procedural delays in approvals, documentation, and coordination between hospitals slow down the transplant process. - Policy Implication:
The findings signal the need for urgent policy reforms, better financing, and investment in human resources to strengthen India’s organ transplant ecosystem.
