Centre Presses Hospitals For Greater Transparency On Organ Donations

With the world's lowest organ donation rate, the health ministry has warned hospitals to issue timely and transparent reports of deaths to their respective state authorities or face penalties, including licence cancellation.

- Priyanka Sharma

The direction follows persistent non-compliance by hospitals which have failed to submit detailed reports to the government on the number of deceased donors, names and nationality of recipients, and in which city and hospital the organs are being transplanted.

The directive concerns brain stem death (BSD), the term used for natural deaths. Indians are notoriously diffident about organ donation—their own and families'—because of cultural reasons and a general lack of awareness. It is thought that organs from each deceased person can save up to eight lives.

Officials familiar with the matter said that many hospitals based in South India are not following government rules, prompting the Centre to take action against them.