The cc(NOTTO) has directed all organ transplant hospitals in the country to publicly disclose key post-transplant outcome data, including long-term survival rates, graft failures and other critical indicators. This followed a letter by MP for Dakshina Kannada Capt. Brijesh Chowta to the Union Health Ministry.

Capt. Chowta in a statement here said he had written to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on May 22 bringing to his notice a comprehensive report and a set of critical policy recommendations by prominent citizens of Mangaluru, Shyam Kamath and Lionel De Souza. The report highlighted certain under-reported risks, post-transplant mortality rates and systemic gaps in long-term outcome tracking, particularly concerning cadaveric kidney transplants in India.

Long-term challenges

Though kidney transplantation remains a vital, life-saving medical intervention, the representation emphasised current public and media narratives overwhelmingly focusing on short-term successes, often leaving out the long-term challenges faced by patients.

A centralised national registry that tracks long-term outcomes, mortality causes beyond hospital discharge and transplant longevity are lacking.

He had urged Mr. Nadda to direct the Ministry to mandate a centralised registry under appropriate national authority to track long-term survival, complications and mortality data; to require hospitals to maintain and transparently publish long-term post-transplant survival metrics, and enhance patient communication protocols to keep families informed about the outcomes of transplants.

NOTTO directions

Based on Capt. Chowta’s letter, NOTTO director Anil Kumar on June 19 asked State authorities to ensure that all registered transplant hospitals under their jurisdiction submit complete and timely data to the national registry to monitor transplant outcomes, improve traceability and support evidence-based policy decisions.

He also asked State authorities to direct transplant hospitals to display post-transplant outcome data in the format given by the NOTTO on the homepage of their websites and strictly adhere to informed consent requirements and ensure that all relevant information regarding transplant procedures, risks and outcomes are adequately disclosed to patients and their families.

824 hospitals

Capt. Chowta said a total of 824 organ transplant centres across the country are affiliated to the NOTTO. By sharing all the information in this way, hospitals can maintain greater transparency about kidney transplant treatment in the public. In addition, the problem of undergoing kidney transplant surgery and facing long-term problems due to lack of information can also be avoided.

This was the intention behind his letter to Mr. Nadda to raise awareness about the success and mortality rate of kidney transplant treatment.

Eom