Thiruvananthapuram: Medicines for patients who have undergone organ transplant surgery will be made available at reduced prices through Zero-Profit Counters in Kerala.
The facility will be offered through the Karunyasparsham counters, which were initially launched to provide cancer medicines at concessional rates.
“Kerala has been implementing several projects in the field of organ donation, including surgeries carried out under insurance cover. An official order recognising the families of deceased organ donors will be issued soon,” Health Minister Veena George said.
Describing organ donation at a time of grief over the loss of a loved one as “one of the noblest decisions in the world,” the Minister noted that the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS), also known as Kerala SOTTO, was formed during the present LDF government’s tenure to ensure transparency in organ donation activities.
So far, 389 posthumous organ donations have taken place in the State, benefitting 1,120 recipients. Currently, 2,801 patients in Kerala can survive only through organ transplantation.
The Minister pointed out that organ donation often faces challenges, including reluctance by some doctors to certify donations due to court cases, but added that the judiciary has been providing strong support to promote the practice.
She stressed that posthumous donations should increase compared to living donations, adding that a single brain-dead person can save the lives of more than eight others.
To promote such donations, Kerala SOTTO has been running the awareness campaign Jeevanekam Jeevanakam (“Give Life, Be Life”), which has shown positive results.
The Jeevan Daanam campaign, launched under Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Anukumar, is now expanding in collaboration with Kudumbashree.
The Minister highlighted the example of more than 1,000 students of St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, registering for organ donation in one go as a model initiative.
Many organisations have embraced the cause, she added.
About 122 families were felicitated at the state-level programme, Smrithi Vandhanam 2025, organised to honour the families of deceased organ donors.
Kerala has also successfully initiated liver transplant surgeries under the present government, completing ten such procedures. Administrative sanction of Rs 643.88 crore has been granted to set up a dedicated Kerala Institute of Organ Transplantation in Kozhikode.
From Kerala, Mithun Ashok and S. Sujith will represent India at the World Transplant Games in Germany, and the Minister extended her best wishes to them.
