You can pledge your organs in a few minutes on the national Aadhaar-based pledge portal at notto.abdm.gov.in, run by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). The Union Health Ministry said in June that pledges through it had crossed five lakh across India (Daily Excelsior).
Tamil Nadu is where a pledge is most likely to turn into a transplant. The state recorded 2,550 deceased donors who gave 14,845 organs and tissues between October 2008 and September 2026, and 312 donors in the latest year alone, according to figures released on State Organ Donation Day on 23 September (DT Next). Here is how pledging, TRANSTAN and the waiting list fit together.
What TRANSTAN does
The Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu runs the state’s deceased-donor programme. When a patient is certified brain dead in a registered hospital and the family agrees to donation, TRANSTAN is informed and allocates the organs to patients on its list. Its website keeps a running tally: 3,727 kidney, 1,887 liver, 944 lung and 933 heart transplants among 7,566 major organ transplants, plus corneas, heart valves, skin and bone, for a total of 12,413.
The programme dates its awareness drive to September 2008, when doctors Ashokan and Pushpanjali donated the organs of their son Hithendran after a road accident. That date is now marked each year as State Organ Donation Day. Tamil Nadu has received the Union government’s award for its organ donation programme for 10 years in a row and was named the best state for 2025.
Since a government order of 7 October 2023 (G.O. 331), deceased donors receive state honours: the district collector or a senior official pays respects at the donor’s home before the last rites. By the time the Indian Transplant Newsletter reported on it, 461 donors had been honoured this way.
How to pledge
- Open the NOTTO pledge portal and choose the organ and tissue pledge option.
- Verify with your Aadhaar number and the OTP sent to the linked mobile.
- Select the organs and tissues you wish to donate (kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, corneas, skin and others) and add a family contact.
- Download the donor card and keep it with your ID.
- Tell your family. A pledge records your wish, but in practice doctors talk to your relatives at the hospital, and their agreement matters at that moment.
Many Chennai hospitals also run pledge desks during awareness drives, but the online route gives you a verifiable record. Pledging costs nothing.
How the waiting list works
A pledge is for donors. Patients get onto the list differently: the hospital treating them registers them with TRANSTAN once doctors decide they need a transplant. The state list in July stood at 8,539 people waiting for a kidney, 693 for a liver, 86 for a heart, 8 for a small bowel and 6 for a pancreas, according to TRANSTAN member secretary Dr N. Gopalakrishnan (DT Next).
When an organ becomes available, matching depends on blood group, tissue type and medical compatibility, with priority set by medical urgency and time already spent waiting. Allocation runs through a computerised system, and TRANSTAN says income, status and influence play no part. Waits vary widely with blood group and how sick the patient is.
A national layer is being added. On 3 August NOTTO launched new digital tools including the e-Pratyaropan platform and a mobile app (Deccan Herald), with the aim of real-time waiting lists and smoother sharing of organs between hospitals and states.
Cost and scams
TRANSTAN says the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme supports transplants up to ₹22 lakh, and 588 patients with end-stage organ failure have been helped. In 2024, about 30.5% of the state’s transplants went to economically weaker patients through the scheme, who also got lifelong anti-rejection medicines free.
Long waits attract fraudsters. In one case reported by DT Next, a family paid ₹8 lakh to a relative who promised a kidney donor who never existed. Buying or selling organs is illegal. If anyone offers to move you up the list or find a donor for money, check with your transplant hospital and do not pay. This is general information; talk to your transplant team about your own case.
Quick answers
Where do I pledge my organs in Tamil Nadu?
On the national NOTTO portal, notto.abdm.gov.in, using Aadhaar OTP verification. Download the donor card afterwards.
Can I register a patient on the TRANSTAN waiting list myself?
No. A TRANSTAN-registered transplant hospital registers the patient after medical evaluation.
How many people are waiting for a kidney in Tamil Nadu?
About 8,539 as of July 2026, according to TRANSTAN.
Do donors get any honour?
Yes. Under G.O. 331 of October 2023, deceased donors receive state honours at their home before the funeral.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN)
- TN govt honours families of 312 donors on Organ Donation Awareness Day (DT Next)
- TN leads in organ transplants despite long waiting list: Dr N Gopalakrishnan (DT Next)
- Waiting for transplant, desperate patients fall in scamsters’ trap (DT Next)
- Deceased donor transplant programme: best practices from Tamil Nadu (Indian Transplant Newsletter)
- India records over 5 lakh organ donation pledges: Union Health Ministry (Daily Excelsior)
- India logs record 20,138 organ transplants in 2025 (Deccan Herald)
