However, the demand still far outstrips supply, with 2,801 patients in the state currently surviving only with the hope of receiving an organ transplant.
Published Aug 14, 2025 | 8:39 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 14, 2025 | 8:39 AM
Kerala to honour brain-dead organ donors.
In a move aimed at boosting the state’s dismally low cadaver organ donation rates, Kerala will soon accord state honours to brain-dead individuals who donate their organs — a practice pioneered in Tamil Nadu and credited with transforming its deceased donor transplant programme.
Health Minister Veena George announced the decision while speaking at Smrithi Vandanam, a programme organised by the state Health Department and the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) on Wednesday to honour cadaver organ donors, their families, and recipients.
“A government order in this regard will be issued soon,” she said.
At the same time, it’s learnt that the state will also establish a memorial to pay tribute to organ donors and promote awareness about the cause. So far, Kerala has recorded 389 posthumous organ donations, giving a new lease of life to 1,120 people.
However, the demand still far outstrips supply, with 2,801 patients in the state currently surviving only with the hope of receiving an organ transplant.
In 2024, only 11 people in the state became deceased organ donors — zero from government hospitals and all from the private sector. The slide is stark: 19 donors in 2023, 14 in 2022.
Over the past 13 years (2012–2024), Kerala has managed just 378 deceased donors in total — a number Tamil Nadu surpasses in a single year, with 268 donors in 2024 alone.
The Tamil Nadu model, which involves giving state honours to brain-dead organ donors, was recognised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a “first-of-its-kind” initiative that has substantially boosted the state’s donor programme.
The ministry noted that the “befitting gesture has appealed to the collective psyche of society” and encouraged greater participation.
In Kerala, where public awareness and willingness for cadaver organ donation are still lagging, the government hopes that this symbolic yet powerful step will help inspire more families to consent to donations, potentially saving hundreds of lives each year.
