An initiative by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.
(A subsidiary of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd.)
A Complete Guide
Organ donation is the act of giving an organ or tissue to someone whose own organ has failed. It may be the only treatment for people with end-stage kidney, liver, heart or lung disease. In India, organ donation is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, and coordinated nationally by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation.
Types of Donation
When the brain stem stops working permanently, usually after a severe head injury or brain haemorrhage, a ventilator can still keep the heart beating for a short time. This allows vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys to be donated.
When the heart stops, organs cannot usually be used, but tissues can. Eyes (corneas), skin, bone and heart valves can be donated after a death at home or in hospital. Eyes should ideally be retrieved within about 6 hours.
A healthy adult can donate one kidney or part of the liver while alive, usually to a close family member. The body works normally with one kidney, and the liver regrows to near-normal size within months.
What Can Be Donated
Donated organs must be transplanted quickly. The times below are typical limits between retrieval and transplant, which is why hospitals and police sometimes create "green corridors" to move organs fast.
The intestine can also be donated. Vital organs can be donated only after brain stem death certified in a hospital.
Tissues can be donated after brain stem death or natural death. Corneas restore sight, skin grafts help burn patients, and bone helps people with injuries or cancer.
Who Can Donate
Age, illness or lifestyle rarely rule you out. Doctors decide which organs are suitable only at the time of donation, so the best thing you can do is pledge and tell your family.
How to Register
A pledge records your wish to donate on the national registry. It is not a legal contract: you can change or withdraw it at any time, and your family will still be asked for consent.
Go to notto.abdm.gov.in and choose the option to pledge to donate organs.
Enter your Aadhaar number and confirm it with the OTP sent to your linked mobile number.
Add your personal details and blood group, choose all organs and tissues or only specific ones, and give the contact details of family members.
Your pledge certificate and donor card with a unique pledge ID are ready to download immediately.
Doctors always ask the family before donation. When they already know your wish, they can honour it confidently at a difficult time.
No internet? You can print Form 7, fill it in, and post it to the national Organ Donation office, or ask at a registered transplant hospital. Body donation for medical education is different. It is arranged directly with a medical college's anatomy department.
Understanding Brain Stem Death
The brain stem controls breathing, consciousness and other basic functions. When it is permanently destroyed, the person has died, even though a ventilator can keep the heart beating and the body warm for a short time. Unlike a coma, brain stem death can never be reversed.
Indian law recognises brain stem death as legal death. Because donation depends on it, the certification is strict and independent of the transplant team.
The Donation Process
Deceased organ donation is a carefully regulated, step-by-step process that usually takes between 12 and 24 hours from consent to completion.
A patient on a ventilator after a severe brain injury shows signs of brain stem death. Doctors continue all treatment while the tests are arranged.
The four-doctor board performs two sets of tests at least six hours apart and declares death.
A trained transplant coordinator explains brain stem death to the family with compassion and asks about donation. The family can say yes or no, and there is no pressure either way.
The next of kin signs a consent form (Form 8) and chooses which organs and tissues to donate. In accident cases, the hospital informs the police, and post-mortem requirements are coordinated so they are not delayed.
The ventilator and medicines keep the organs healthy. Blood group, tissue type, infections and organ function are tested.
The state organ network (state, regional and national) matches each organ to the most suitable patients on the waiting list according to official allocation rules.
Surgeons remove the organs in an operating theatre with the same care as any other operation. Organs are preserved and rushed to the recipients' hospitals.
Incisions are closed neatly and the body is handed back without disfigurement, so last rites can take place as planned. Many families are later honoured for their gift.
Matching & Allocation
Organs are never chosen by the donor's family or sold. They go to registered patients on an official waiting list, following transparent rules set by the national organ donation authority and the state governments.
Under the "One Nation, One Policy" reforms of 2023, patients can register in any state, and there is no upper age limit for registering as a recipient. The national organ donation authority has also directed priority for women patients and for relatives of deceased donors. Exact rules differ by organ and state.
Living Donation
Living donation saves thousands of lives in India every year. More than 90% of transplants in the country come from living donors. To protect donors from coercion or exploitation, every living donation must be approved under THOTA.
Law & Ethics
The central law that regulates organ and tissue removal, storage and transplantation, and recognises brain stem death. It was strengthened in 2011 and its rules updated in 2014.
Commercial dealing in organs is a serious crime, punishable with imprisonment and heavy fines. Organs are always a gift.
A national organisation, five ROTTOs (regional) and SOTTOs (state) maintain registries and waiting lists and ensure fair allocation.
Only government-registered hospitals can retrieve or transplant organs, and they must have trained transplant coordinators.
Myths & Facts
No. The doctors treating you are completely separate from the transplant team. Donation is considered only after every effort to save your life has failed and death has been certified by an independent board.
No. Brain stem death is permanent and is legally recognised as death in India. It is different from a coma or a vegetative state, from which some people can recover.
All major religions in India support organ donation or leave it to personal choice, and many religious leaders describe it as an act of compassion and selfless giving.
No. Organs are removed through careful surgery and the body is closed neatly. It is returned to the family promptly so last rites can proceed as planned. For eye donation, only the cornea is taken and the face looks normal.
No. Pledging is free and the donor's family does not pay for organ donation. Buying or selling organs is illegal.
Yes. Indian law requires written consent from the next of kin at the time of death, even if you have pledged. This is why talking to your family is so important.
Yes. A pledge is a statement of your wish, not a contract. You can update or withdraw it on the national Organ Donation portal at any time.
Yes, you can still pledge. There is no fixed upper age limit, and very few conditions rule out donation completely. Doctors assess each organ at the time of death.
Pledge today, and talk to your family so they can honour your wish.
Information on this page is based on the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, its 2014 rules, and guidance from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. It is for general awareness only. For medical decisions, please consult a registered transplant hospital.
Get Involved
Your support helps us run donor pledge camps at colleges, hospitals, and community centres across India, making it easier for people to register as organ donors and understand what the commitment involves.
We provide grief counselling and ongoing support to families who have donated a loved one's organs, helping them navigate an incredibly difficult time with dignity and care.
Funding helps train more transplant coordinators in hospitals, who play a critical role in identifying potential donors, counselling families, and ensuring THOTA-compliant consent processes.
We produce educational content, host community talks, and run digital campaigns to dispel myths around organ donation and encourage informed conversations within families.