Newsroom, November 09, 2025: The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has instructed all states and union territories to conduct training programs for frontline workers in road accident scenarios, targeting police, ambulance drivers, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics to spot and refer potential organ donors effectively.
The initiative addresses India's dismal donation rate of less than one deceased donor per million population, where 1.7 lakh road accident deaths in 2023 alone represent a missed opportunity for life-saving transplants.
The sessions will cover organ donation basics, brain death recognition, family counselling, and standard procedures for trauma referrals, delivered in a cascading format with support from regional and state transplant bodies.
NOTTO stressed that swift action could save accident victims or enable donations in brain-dead cases under the 1994 Transplantation Act.
Trauma centres must upgrade facilities for harvesting, as timely referrals could dramatically lift the country's organ supply.
