The Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators (NATCO) successfully hosted its 18th Annual Conference for Transplant Coordinators on October 10-11, 2025 at IIHMR University, Jaipur, centered on the theme “Reconnect · Recharge · Reignite.”

The two-day event attracted participants from various fields including transplant coordinators, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers throughout the country. The event provided a platform for knowledge sharing through scientific sessions, paper presentations and interactive discussions with a focus on improving organ donation and transplantation practices.

Shri Gajendra Singh Khimsar, the Health Minister of Rajasthan, inaugurated the conference together with various distinguished guests from medical institutions and academic organizations and transplant associations. The opening set the tone for two days of thoughtful dialogue and collaboration among professionals committed to strengthening ethical and effective transplant systems.

The conference highlight was the Swamy Narayan Memorial Oration by Dr Anil Purohit. Dr Purohit is the Founder of the Jodhpur School of Public Health and a Global Public Health Specialist with over 25 years of experience across Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in establishing more than 60 HIV clinics, counselling centres, clinical laboratories, and training institutions worldwide. He played a key role in setting up the first AIDS training programs in Fiji in collaboration with the Harvard Medical Institutes, where he trained the country's entire medical and allied health workforce.

Dr Purohit has also worked extensively on HIV/AIDS initiatives across all States and Union Territories of India. A recipient of a deceased donor kidney transplant, Dr Purohit brings a unique personal perspective to his professional work and is actively involved in organ donation awareness initiatives and advocacy campaigns globally.

The conference featured a series of scientific sessions including “Swap Transplantation: Global Lessons, Indian Solutions”, which presented international knowledge that connects to Indian conditions. Sessions on the necessity of maintaining consistent data across different registries and a targeted workshop focused on vision and fundraising for non-governmental organizations were conducted in parallel. An interactive session highlighted the role of AI-based tools in improving transplant outcomes and advancing medical science and technology. The increased Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) across the globe and its scope in India were discussed, with emphasis on legal provisions, the donation process, and engagement with families and key stakeholders. Unique transplant procedures, including simultaneous kidney–pancreas transplantation, were discussed with emphasis on need, outcomes, and quality of life.

The IIHMR University session highlighted the learning opportunities available to transplant coordinators to support their professional development. The program included presentations by nominees for the Swamy Narayan Transplant Coordinator Award, providing transplant coordinators an opportunity to showcase their grassroots work in facilitating deceased organ donation in their hospitals/regions. Free paper and poster presentations were part of the program, showcasing research, field experiences, and innovative practices.

World Transplant Games 2025 athletes from Rajasthan were felicitated during the inauguration

Swamy Narayan Memorial Oration by Dr Anil Purohit, Jodhpur School of Public Health