Sat Nov 08 05:08:59 UTC 2025: News Article:
India’s Organ Shortage Crisis: NOTTO Urges Training for First Responders
New Delhi – November 8, 2025 – In an effort to combat India’s critical shortage of organs for transplantation, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has issued a directive to states and Union Territories, urging the implementation of comprehensive training programs for first responders. The initiative aims to improve the identification and timely referral of potential organ donors from road accident victims, where a significant number of potential organ donors are lost each year due to lack of timely identification and referral, NOTTO said.
With organ donation rates remaining low (less than one deceased donor per million population) despite thousands awaiting life-saving transplants, NOTTO emphasizes the crucial role that police personnel, ambulance drivers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and other para-medical staff can play. Training will focus on organ donation awareness, the identification and maintenance of potential donors, and guidance on approaching families for consent.
The directive follows a report indicating that approximately 1.7 lakh people died in road accidents in 2023, representing a substantial pool of potential donors. NOTTO stresses the need for mechanisms to facilitate information flow from first responders to transplant coordinators at trauma centers, hospitals, and medical colleges.
The training programs, coordinated with state government authorities, will operate in a cascading model, training trainers who will then disseminate the knowledge to a wider audience. NOTTO emphasizes coordination with Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) for technical support and training materials. Additionally, the organization calls for the upgrade and strengthening of trauma centers with the necessary infrastructure and manpower for organ harvesting.
NOTTO believes that these measures will significantly increase deceased organ donation rates, ultimately saving lives and alleviating the ongoing crisis in organ availability.
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