The event was attended by Shri U.T. Khader, Hon'ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, India, and focused on strengthening awareness and the culture of organ donation in the country.
The initiative was organised against the widening gap between the need for organs and their availability in India. The country's deceased organ donation rate remains below 1 donor per million population, compared with over 48 per million in Spain. India recorded a landmark 20,138 transplants in 2025, but nearly 82% relied on living donors. More than 89,000 patients remained on transplant waiting lists as of March 2026, far outpacing the availability of organs.
Through the awareness drive, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital encouraged individuals and families to come forward and pledge organ donation, with the aim of helping bridge the gap and giving patients on transplant waiting lists a genuine chance at life. The hospital highlighted that increasing organ donations through brain-dead patients could improve the situation.
Living organ transplantation remains an established and life-saving treatment option in India, particularly for kidney and liver failure. In such procedures, a healthy individual, often a close family member, voluntarily donates an organ or part of an organ to a patient in need. Advances in surgical technique, immunosuppression and post-transplant care have made living donor transplants highly safe and successful, with excellent outcomes.
However, experts note that living donation alone cannot bridge India's growing organ shortage. This underlines the need for more citizens to pledge deceased organ donation, alongside greater awareness, timely identification of potential donors and robust hospital-level coordination.
Shri U.T. Khader, Hon'ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, said, "Organ donation is a gift that transcends boundaries of relation and community. The Government of Karnataka remains committed to strengthening deceased donation infrastructure across the state, and initiatives like this by Ramaiah Memorial Hospital play a vital role in encouraging more citizens to come forward and pledge their organs.”
Dr. M. R. Jayaram, Chairman, Gokula Education Foundation (Medical) & Chancellor – Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (RUAS), said, "Organ donation is among the most profound expressions of human compassion. Today's gathering reflects our collective responsibility to build public awareness and trust around deceased donation. Every family that comes forward brings us closer to closing India's organ gap and giving more patients a genuine chance at life."
Dr. Nagendra Swamy S. C., Chief Executive – Ramaiah Memorial Hospital & Healthcare Services, GEF (Medical), added, "Organ transplantation — whether through living or deceased donation — has evolved into one of the most reliable treatment options for end-stage organ failure. With over 89,000 patients awaiting transplants in India, the need far exceeds availability. Through today's drive, we hope to have inspired more citizens to come forward, pledge their organs, and help us close this critical gap."
The event reinforced Ramaiah Memorial Hospital's long-standing commitment to ethical transplant practices and donor awareness in Karnataka. Its transplant programme spans multiple organ systems and is supported by a multidisciplinary team of specialists dedicated to advancing safe, high-quality transplant care in the region.
Ramaiah Memorial Hospital (RMH), established in 2004, is a 500 bed, JCI-, NABH- and NABL-certified multi-disciplinary super specialty quaternary care hospital in Bengaluru, India. RMH received the Joint Commission International (JCI) Gold Seal of Approval in June 2025. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of a healthcare organization's commitment to meeting international standards of patient care and safety, demonstrating excellence in clinical quality, patient safety and outcomes.
In June 2025, RMH was also certified by the American Heart Association (AHA) as a Comprehensive Chest Pain Center and by the American Stroke Association (ASA) as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. The recent FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) accreditation of its Bone Marrow Unit and stem cell laboratory reflects adherence to rigorous, peer-reviewed standards, ensuring the highest quality of patient care across the entire stem cell process, from collection and processing to administration and long-term follow-up.
With more than 22 years of service, the hospital has touched the lives of over 5 million patients and performed more than two lakh surgeries. Its transplant milestones include close to 600 renal transplants, over 50 heart transplants, more than 210 bone marrow transplants, and liver transplant services initiated in 2025.
Ramaiah Memorial Hospital has been affiliated with Mount Sinai International, New York since June 2024, marking a collaboration focused on elevating healthcare through excellence in clinical care, quality, research, innovation and technology.
Its Centers of Excellence, including the Ramaiah Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Ramaiah Institute of Oncosciences, Ramaiah Institute of Nephro-Uro Sciences, Ramaiah Institute of Neurosciences and the Ramaiah Institute of Gastro-Enteric Sciences, deliver comprehensive healthcare services under their respective specialties along with other super-specialties.
RMH has received recognition from Newsweek as one of the World's best hospitals in 2025. The ranking is based on hospital recommendations from peers, hospital quality metrics, patient experience and PROMs implementation survey.
The Organ Donation Awareness Drive brought the focus back to the widening gap between transplant demand and organ availability, with the hospital seeking greater public participation in deceased organ donation to help provide more patients awaiting transplants with a chance at life.
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