Manipal Hospitals Hosts Organ Donation Summit, Driving Change

On November 8, 2025, Manipal Hospitals inaugurated the Organ Donation Summit 2025 in Kolkata, a pivotal event aimed at enhancing collaboration in the field of organ donation. The summit, organized under the initiative of Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST), brought together healthcare leaders, specialists, and policymakers to discuss best practices in organ donation.

The opening ceremony featured esteemed guests, including Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), and Dr. (Col) Avnish Seth, VSM, Country Head of MOST. Other notable speakers included Dr. Philip Thomas, Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Texas, and Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional COO of Manipal Health Enterprise Pvt. Ltd.

Collaborating for a Stronger Organ Donation Ecosystem

The summit aimed to address the low rates of deceased organ donations in India, which, despite recent progress, still remain under one donor per million people. In 2024, India recorded 18,911 organ transplants, ranking third globally, primarily due to living donors. Of these, only 1,128 deceased donors contributed to 3,403 organ transplants, with most achievements concentrated in a few states.

Dr. Anil Kumar led a session titled “Ethics in Organ Donation & Transplantation,” emphasizing the necessity of transparency and public trust. He remarked, “Ethics is the backbone of any organ donation and transplantation program. Building public trust is not just an obligation; it is the foundation on which the entire system stands.”

Dr. (Col) Avnish Seth highlighted India’s advancements and ongoing challenges, stating, “We still have a long way to go. MOST promotes best practices in deceased organ donation and conducts annual summits to encourage knowledge sharing.” He also shared a groundbreaking procedure conducted just two days prior at Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, where organs were successfully retrieved after cardiac death using Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP).

Exploring Modern Challenges and Innovations

The first day of the summit presented a range of insightful sessions. Notable discussions included “Organ Donation in India & Around the World,” led by Dr. S.K. Mathur from the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre in Mumbai, and Dr. Sunil Shroff from the MOHAN Foundation, focusing on the state of organ donation in India compared to global practices.

Another key session, “Donation After Brain Death,” featured Dr. Deepak Gupta from AIIMS, New Delhi, who discussed the crucial aspects of identifying and managing brain death. Additionally, the session on “End of Life Care & Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD)” was moderated by Dr. Philip Thomas and Dr. Dipanjan Chatterjee, focusing on the ethics surrounding compassionate end-of-life care.

The summit concluded with a lamp-lighting ceremony and a gala dinner, highlighting the commitment of participants to foster collaboration in transplantation medicine. Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta remarked, “It is imperative that organ and tissue donation become an integral part of End-of-Life Care across every state and Union Territory. Every 17 minutes, someone dies waiting for a transplant, and every 13 minutes, another person joins the waiting list.”

Through this summit and its ongoing efforts, Manipal Hospitals aims to enhance awareness and support for organ donation across India, marking a significant step forward in creating a robust and ethical organ donation ecosystem in the region.