Tamil Nadu's Organ Donation Success: How Awareness and Trust Transformed the Programme

From seven deceased donor organ donations in its first year to 266 in a single year, Tamil Nadu has come a long way in 17 years. Behind this rise is a gradual shift in public perception, shaped by sustained awareness efforts, measures to build confidence, and improvements in the State's transplant infrastructure and systems.

Since 2008, the highest number of deceased organ donors was recorded in 2024, when Tamil Nadu had 268 donors. In 2025, there were 266 donors — 211 men and 55 women. A total of 1,476 organs were utilised — 856 major organs and 620 minor organs and tissues — according to the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu's data.

J. Amalorpavanathan, founder-member secretary of the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu, said that when the programme started in 2008, the concept of brain death was scarcely understood among healthcare professionals. A few coordinated brain death certifications were happening sporadically, with MOHAN Foundation coordinating around two to three such cases a year in a few city hospitals. The State government decided to start the Cadaver Transplant Programme (CTP), and groundwork began in April. Ten government orders were issued. In September, the parents of 15-year-old Hithendran, who had sustained severe injuries in a road accident and was declared brain dead, decided to donate his organs. The CTP was launched in October 2008, and Hithendran's case helped organ donation pick up in the State.

Amalorpavanathan recalled visiting all districts and noted that initially, there was reluctance among doctors. However, whenever he interacted with the general public, he found a sense of receptiveness. People had questions and sought clarifications, but he found the least resistance among them. Gradually, healthcare professionals were convinced to certify brain death. The programme saw seven donations in the first year and crossed 180 in a year within eight years. Though the number of organ donations dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, it picked up again thereafter.

Sunil Shroff, managing trustee of MOHAN Foundation, said there had been a tremendous improvement in awareness levels over the years. Earlier, obtaining consent for organ donation was hard. Now, many families are coming forward to donate. In States such as Tamil Nadu and Telangana, where awareness is relatively high, about 10 to 15% of families come forward to donate. This is a paradigm shift, he observed.

About 72% of deceased organ donations in the country happens in five States — Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. Southern States have done well in terms of creating awareness on organ donations, Shroff noted.

Compared with other States, awareness about organ donation was far higher in Tamil Nadu. Unpublished data from a major transplant centre showed that the acceptance rate was 70 to 75% after the first counselling and increased by another 10% following the second counselling, a senior doctor noted.

Shroff explained that awareness creation can be approached in two ways. One is to organise awareness campaigns and sessions and encourage people to take pledges. In Tamil Nadu's experience, news about successful donations, honour walks for donors and giving due recognition to donors have been more effective awareness tools. Since October 2023, when the former DMK government issued an order to accord State honours to the mortal remains of deceased donors in September 2023, more than 800 such State honours have been accorded. News about successful donations and the utilisation of donated organs has proved to be a more effective way of creating awareness, he said.

As the State observes World Organ Donation Day on August 13, experts revisit the milestones, lessons learnt and the road ahead. There is a need to sustain the momentum by continuing public education, strengthening transplant infrastructure, and ensuring that every family that considers donation receives clear and compassionate support. The Tamil Nadu model, built on trust and transparency, offers a roadmap for other States seeking to improve their organ donation rates.