The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO)

Published on 14 Nov 2025

• NOTTO directed that women patients and relatives of deceased donors will get priority in organ allocation, as women made up 63.8% of donors (2019–23) but men accounted for 69.8% of recipients.

• The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act, 2011 (principal Act in 1994) empowered the government to set up national, regional, and state-level transplant organisations.

• NOTTO was thus created in 2014 by an executive order of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (not a statutory body).

• It has two divisions: National Human Organ & Tissue Removal and Storage Network and National Biomaterial Centre

• NOTTO maintains the National Waiting List, coordinates organ allocation across states, frames policies, spreads awareness, and manages the National Organ & Tissue Donation and Transplant Registry (NOTTR).

• Regional Link: 5 ROTTOs (Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Guwahati) connect NOTTO with states and handle inter-state allocation.

• State Level: SOTTOs (e.g., Tamil Nadu) manage state waiting lists, donor/recipient registration, and awareness drives.

• Health is a State subject; some states (e.g., Andhra Pradesh, Telangana) have their own transplant laws, while others are yet to fully adopt the national framework.

Keywords:

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation NOTTO Health Organ transplantation Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act Directorate General of Health Services DGHS Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Organ donation