Why More Patients from the US and UK are Choosing India for Affordable Organ Transplants

New data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) shows that in 2023, almost 10% of all organ transplants in India were for foreign nationals. Out of 18,336 patients who got transplants, 1,851 were from other countries. Most of these procedures happened in Delhi, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.

Why Foreign Patients Choose India

Many foreign patients come from nearby countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar because they don’t have good transplant facilities. However, patients from developed countries like the US and UK also come to India for cheaper living donor transplants. Dr. Subhash Gupta from Max Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences said, “Nearly 30% of liver transplant patients at our center are foreigners.”

Types of Organ Transplants

Organ transplants involve taking an organ from a donor and giving it to a patient. Donors can be alive or deceased. Living donors can donate organs like a kidney or parts of the liver, while deceased donors can donate many organs and tissues like the heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Preference for Living Donor Transplants

NOTTO data shows that out of the 1,851 foreign transplant cases in 2023, only nine used organs from deceased donors. Pallavi Kumar from Mohan Foundation explained that deceased donations are rare in India and usually go to Indian patients. “Most transplants for foreigners are from living donors,” she said.

Strict Rules for Foreign Transplants

Dr. A S Soin from Medanta-The Medicity explained that there are strict rules for living donor transplants involving foreigners. Authorities check multiple times to make sure the donor is a blood relative of the patient. Recently, the government told states to create a NOTTO-ID for all organ recipients to prevent illegal activities.

Where Foreign Transplants Happen in India

Most foreign transplants occur in Delhi, with 1,445 cases. Rajasthan had 116, and West Bengal had 88. Other states like Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Manipur also had some cases. Nearly 78% of all foreign transplants were in Delhi-NCR, with over 32% of total transplants in Delhi involving foreigners.

India’s Organ Transplant Scene

In 2023, India had 18,378 organ transplants. Among the recipients, 30% were women, with the highest percentage among lung recipients at 47%. India also had over 1,000 deceased organ donors for the first time in a year. Deceased-donor transplants increased from 837 in 2013 to 2,935 in 2023.

Foreigners can only get organs from deceased donors if there are no matching Indian patients at the state, regional, or national level. Despite the increase in transplants, the organ donation rate in India is still less than 1 per million people.