Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 30 (Jul 2010 - Oct 2010)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568

Key factors in the success of the Tamil Nadu model of deceased organ donation

Indian Transplant Newsletter.
Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 30 (Jul 2010 - Oct 2010)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568
Print PDF


As an NGO involved in the cadaver (deceased) organ donation programme since 1997, MOHAN Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network) has had the opportunity to interact with the public, the government and the private sector over the past decade. Tamil Nadu leads the country in the deceased organ donation programme. The donor rate in Tamil Nadu is one per million population, which is 10 times the national average. Here are some of our observations regarding this achievement:

1. The success of the programme depends on teamwork at every stage - identification of brain death, maintenance, counselling families that have lost a loved one, and organ retrieval. The importance of counselling families in grief by trained people cannot be overemphasized. The current success of Apollo Hospital is testimony to this. In the early years of the programme, the dedicated efforts of an ICU specialist in Apollo Hospital, Dr. Hariharan saw a number of families consenting to organ donation.

2. MOHAN Foundation’s grief counsellors have counselled the families of 40 brain dead persons in the Government General hospital, Chennai from February 2010 to October 2010. 26 families said “yes” to organ donation. Initially, these families were clueless about organ donation. Their motivation to consent for organ donation came from the rapport that the counsellors established with them in helping them understand the concept of brain death and that they could help save the lives of people with organ failure.  The Government General Hospital, Chennai, is second only to Apollo Hospital in the number of deceased organ donors.

3. The government’s present cadaver transplant programme is modelled on the “Indian Network for Organ Sharing (INOS)” that was started under the aegis of MOHAN Foundation in 2000. Five hospitals in Tamil Nadu came together under INOS to ensure that every organ that was donated was utilised. From the year 2000 to 2008, approximately 270 solid organs were shared among the hospitals. The software that was developed for INOS through inputs from all the participating hospitals was given to the government’s Tamil Nadu Network for Organ Sharing (www.tnos.org).

4.  While some problems that were encountered in INOS still persist under the present programme, it is to the government’s credit that its involvement has resulted in better utilisation of organs. In fact the 85% utilization of the liver is better than the world average of 70%. Other tissues such as corneas and heart-valves have also contributed significantly to the numbers.

5. As an NGO, what we bring to the programme is a greater transparency and credibility in the public eye since they see us as society’s conscience keepers and nowhere is it more required than in the world of organ donation and transplantation.


To cite : Shroff S, Navin S. Key factors in the success of the Tamil Nadu model of deceased organ donation. Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 30 (Jul 2010 - Oct 2010).
Available at:
https://www.itnnews.co.in/indian-transplant-newsletter/issue30/Editorial-Desk-325.htm

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