Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 28: Kidney transplant hospitals across India will now have to publicly disclose patient survival rates, deaths, graft failures and other long-term transplant outcomes, following a directive from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) aimed at improving transparency in healthcare.
The move comes after BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta raised concerns over the lack of publicly available data on transplant outcomes, leaving patients and families with limited information while choosing hospitals for surgery.
NOTTO director Dr Anil Kumar has directed transplant centres across states and Union Territories to prominently display post-transplant outcome data on their websites and ensure complete and timely submission of follow-up information to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry.
Hospitals have also been instructed to provide patients and their families or guardians with complete details about the transplant procedure, associated risks and expected outcomes before obtaining consent.
In his representation to the Union Health Minister, Captain Chowta highlighted gaps in tracking long-term outcomes of kidney transplant cases, citing a report submitted by two Mangaluru-based citizens. He pointed out that while successful transplant stories receive attention, long-term complications, graft failures and post-transplant deaths are not adequately monitored.
The MP also highlighted the absence of a comprehensive national system to track long-term transplant results and said greater transparency would help patients make informed decisions.
Dr Anupam Roy, Additional Director of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant at Aakash Hospital, Dwarka, Delhi, termed the move a major step towards accountability.
“Making transplant outcomes public is a landmark step towards transparency and accountability. It will empower patients with objective information. However, these results must be interpreted in the context of patient complexity and risk profile,” he said.
NOTTO said 824 transplant centres are currently connected to the organ and tissue transplant registry and are required to record transplant and follow-up data through designated login credentials.
The organisation said comprehensive reporting would improve monitoring of transplant outcomes, strengthen traceability and support evidence-based policy decisions.
Under the new reporting format, hospitals will have to disclose the number and percentage of patients alive, deaths, graft failures and patients lost to follow-up at six months, one year, three years and five years after kidney transplantation.