AP Government Plans Rs 1 Lakh, Jobs and Pensions for Organ Donor Families
Health minister says 12 teaching hospitals are to be gradually upgraded to provide organ transplant services
Visakhapatnam: Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday announced that the state government is upgrading 12 government teaching hospitals to make advanced treatment more accessible to poor patients and undertake organ transplantation services.
Addressing a state-level awareness programme organised by Jeevandan on the occasion of National Organ Donation Day at the AU Convention Centre in Visakhapatnam, the minister explained that the teaching hospitals would be developed in a phased manner into full-fledged organ transplant centres.
The first phase of organ transplantation services would focus on kidney transplant services at the teaching hospitals in Visakhapatnam, Palasa, Kurnool, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati, and Kakinada. The government is examining the feasibility of introducing liver transplant services by 2028 and heart transplant services in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Kurnool by 2030.
Satya Kumar disclosed that 5,935 patients in Andhra Pradesh are currently waiting for organ transplants. He pointed out that organ donation under Jeevandan, an organised cadaver organ transplantation and allocation programme, has been steadily increasing in the state, with 26 donors in 2022, 41 in 2023, 66 in 2024, and 93 in 2025. In 2026, 57 donors have made available 180 organs so far. He conceded that the number of organs available is far below the demand.
The minister said the government is currently providing `10,000 towards the funeral expenses of deceased organ donors. It has proposed to increase this assistance to `1 lakh. He underlined that requests for jobs and pensions for eligible donor family members are also under consideration.
Satya Kumar emphasised that the government's objective is to make available more life-saving procedures in government hospitals, instead of the treatment remaining confined to the private sector.
Speaking on the occasion, Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu praised organ donating families as the "real champions." She underlined that agreeing to donate a loved one's organs despite personal grief is a far greater achievement than any sporting success. She urged people, especially the youth, to pledge their organs through the Jeevandan portal.
Emotional speeches by donor families, who shared how their loved ones' organs had saved multiple lives, moved the audience. The minister felicitated these families for their generosity and courage.