In News:

India has recorded unprecedented progress in organ donation and transplantation:

• Transplants increased fourfold:
  • < 5,000 (2013) → ~20,000 (2025)
• 18% of transplants now from deceased donors.
• 1,200 families donated organs of loved ones in 2025.
• 4.8 lakh citizens registered for posthumous organ donation via Aadhaar-based verification system (since 17 September 2023).
• India leads globally in hand transplants and performs the highest number worldwide.
• High competence in complex transplants: Heart, Lung, Pancreas.

About NOTTO

Establishment

• Set up under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
• Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Located in New Delhi.
• Mandated by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act, 2011.

Organizational Structure

NOTTO comprises two divisions:

1. National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
2. National Biomaterial Centre

It functions as the apex coordinating centre for organ procurement, allocation, and data registry across India.

Core Functions

1. Coordination & Allocation

• National-level coordination of organ procurement and distribution.
• Facilitates inter-state sharing of organs.
• Ensures equitable and transparent allocation.

2. National Registry

• Maintains and publishes the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Registry.
• Compiles data from States and Regions.
• Maintains transplant surveillance and databank.

3. Policy & Protocols

• Frames guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Aligns transplant systems with global best practices.

4. Capacity Building

• Strengthens:
  • SOTTOs (State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organizations)
  • ROTTOs (Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organizations)
• Assists States in data management and transplant monitoring.

5. Public Awareness

• Promotes deceased organ donation.
• Engages youth, institutions, Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• Encourages multiorgan donation as a family choice.

Government Reforms Strengthening NOTTO

• Real-time digital organ allocation system.
• Expansion & modernization of National Registry.
• Promotion of Green Corridors for rapid organ transport.
• Aadhaar-based donor registration.
• Enhanced hospital connectivity and digital integration.

These measures have reduced logistical barriers and improved clinical outcomes.

Why is it in the News?

Each organ transplant case will receive a distinctive National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) ID assigned to both the donor and the recipient.

Highlights of the News:

• The Union Health Ministry has mandated the cessation of commercial organ transactions, particularly those involving foreign nationals, and emphasized the need for stringent oversight by local authorities.
• For deceased donor transplants, a NOTTO-ID is required for organ allocation, while in living donor transplants, the ID must be generated within 48 hours post-surgery through the NOTTO website by the hospital.

What is the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)?

• NOTTO is a national organization established under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

It serves as the central coordinating hub for:

• Organ and tissue procurement and distribution.
• Maintaining a registry of organ and tissue donation and transplantation activities across the country.

NOTTO comprises two divisions:

• National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network:
  • Acts as the primary center for nationwide coordination of organ and tissue procurement, distribution, and registry.
  • Established in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011.
• National Biomaterial Centre (National Tissue Bank):
  • This center focuses on filling the gap between demand and supply while ensuring quality assurance in tissue availability.
  • The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 has expanded NOTTO's scope to include tissue donation and registration of tissue banks.

Activities performed by NOTTO include:

• • Coordinating tissue procurement and distribution
  • Donor tissue screening
  • Tissue removal and storage
  • Tissue preservation
  • Laboratory screening of tissues
  • Tissue tracking
  • Sterilization
  • Record maintenance
  • Data protection and confidentiality
  • Quality management in tissues
  • Patient information on tissues
  • Developing guidelines, protocols, and standard operating procedures
  • Training and assistance in registering other tissue banks