Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said Andhra Pradesh has secured the sixth position in the country in organ donation, according to the National Organization for Organ and Tissue Transplantation under the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare in its National Organ Donation Report 2025.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the minister attributed the success to sustained awareness campaigns conducted across the state under the Jeevandan program since its inception in 2015.
The number of hospitals performing organ transplants has increased from three to nine. These include King George Hospital and VIMS in Visakhapatnam, Government General Hospitals in Guntur, Kurnool and Vijayawada, SVIMS in Tirupati, AIIMS in Mangalagiri, Padmavathi Children’s Hospital in Tirupati and Kidney Research Center and Super Specialty Hospital in Palas.
At the review meeting, Jeevandan Trust Coordinator K. Rambabu informed the Minister that hospitals in Kakinada, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Ongola, Anantapur, Kadapa and Tirupati have been granted necessary permissions for organ harvesting and brain death patients. The minister directed officials to further increase the number of transplants in government hospitals.
Officials said eight kidney transplants and one liver transplant using organs from brain-dead donors were performed this year at government hospitals, including KGH and VIMS in Visakhapatnam and at government general hospitals in Guntur and Kurnool. A heart transplant was also done at a private hospital in Vijayawada.
Organs taken from 18 brain-dead donors helped 64 patients in the first two months of this year. In the same period last year, 31 organ transplants were performed from 12 donors. In 2024, 30 transplants were performed with the support of 10 brain-dead donors.
Since the program began in 2015, up to 1,200 patients have benefited from Jeevandan. In 2025 alone, 301 patients have been transplanted so far.
According to the Jeevandan Trust, many of the patients awaiting transplant are in the age group of 20 to 50 years. A total of 5,347 people, including 38 children under the age of nine, are currently registered for various organ transplants.
Under GO 95, the state government gives state honors to organ donors and provides financial assistance of ₹10,000 to their families. The minister said the government was considering increasing the assistance to ₹100,000.
Published – March 3, 2026 9:46 PM IST
