- Why in news
- On 10 March 2026, the Health Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that 217 of 804 registered transplant hospitals did not report 2025 data to the national registry. States must act against them under THOTA, 1994.
- What it is
- The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 regulates removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic use. It bans commercial dealings in organs and recognises brain-stem death. NOTTO is the national-level organisation that runs the national registry and coordinates organ and tissue procurement and distribution.
- Who registers hospitals
- Hospitals doing transplants are registered by the appropriate authority of the State or UT where they are located.
- Who takes action on defaulters
- Under THOTA and its Rules, regulatory action against non-reporting hospitals lies with State Governments.
- Registry portal
- The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Registry Portal has worked since 2015 and is accessed through the NOTTO website.
- National Organ Transplant Programme
- NOTP is a Central Sector Scheme to build transplant infrastructure and raise awareness of organ donation. It set up ROTTOs and SOTTOs in many regions.
- Year of the Act
- THOTA was enacted in 1994 and was later amended in 2011 to add tissues and widen the scope.
Don’t confuse with NOTTO vs ROTTO vs SOTTO: NOTTO is the national body. ROTTOs are regional and SOTTOs are State-level bodies under the same programme.
Don’t confuse with Registration vs reporting action: Hospitals are registered by State appropriate authorities, and the same States act on defaulters. NOTTO only holds the registry data.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- A complete registry is needed to allocate organs fairly and to track the gap between the waitlist and transplants.
- Reporting data helps detect illegal organ trade.
Problems
- About 27% of registered hospitals (217 of 804) did not report, so national data is incomplete.
- Enforcement rests with States, whose capacity and will vary; the programme's regional bodies do not cover every State.
Way forward
- States should act against defaulting hospitals and link registration renewal to timely reporting.
- Extend ROTTO and SOTTO coverage to uncovered regions and raise donor awareness.
Put in your answer
Registry reporting gap: 217 of 804 registered hospitals did not report data in 2025.
- 2017Mains GS3 · Q6Describe stem cell therapy and its advantages over other treatments.
- 2012Prelims Q21Ancient India's organ transplant and surgical instrument claims: which correct?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting law and body on the syllabus. Mostly routine data in this reply, so no practice question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.