Deceased Donor Transplantation – Success Story from a State

In India, live donor transplantation is more common than deceased donor transplantations which are quite contrary to developed nations. The enactment of The Transplantation of Human Organ and Tissue Act in India in the year 1994 legalized organ donation after brainstem death. However, it was only in the last few years that the deceased donor transplantation (DDT) program increased in popularity, possibly due to increasing public awareness and direct involvement of Government in the donation and transplant process through national and regional organizations. The Government of Kerala in association with Donation and Transplantation Institute Foundation of Spain implemented transplant procurement management (TPM model) in the state in the year 2019. In Kerala, Kerala Network for Organ Sharing, a local networking organization under Government acts as a public, private provider interface, ensuring a transparent and equitable organ allocation. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of hospital-based organ procurement units headed by transplant procurement managers (TPM) and the role of government-run networking organizations in improving the DDT. When the COVID 19 pandemic resulted in the suspension of the transplant programs across the country, the deceased donation and transplantation activity in Kerala were going unabated.