Why Organ Donation Matters

Thousands of people in India are waiting for a kidney, liver or heart, and many do not survive the wait. The gap is not medical skill. It is the number of people who choose to donate.

One deceased donor can save up to eight lives through their organs, and improve many more through tissue donation. A single decision can return a parent to their children, or a young person to their future.

What Can Be Donated

A living donor can give one kidney or a part of the liver, which grows back to near-normal size.

Who Can Donate

• Anyone can pledge. Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above can register a pledge, whatever their religion or background.
• Age and health rarely rule you out. There is no fixed upper age limit. Doctors check each organ at the time of donation and decide what can be used.
• After death: donation is possible after brain stem death is certified in hospital, and the family gives consent.
• While living: healthy adults, usually close relatives, can donate a kidney or part of the liver after medical tests and approval under the law (THOTA).

How It Works: Procedure, Benefits and Recovery

1. Pledge and tell your family. Register your pledge online in a few minutes, and share your wish with your family, because their consent is needed.
2. Certification. In hospital, a board of doctors certifies brain stem death through tests done twice, independent of the transplant team.
3. Retrieval with dignity. Organs are removed surgically with care, and the body is returned to the family for last rites without disfigurement.
4. Matching and transplant. Organs go to registered patients on the official waiting list, following transparent rules. They are never bought or sold.