NEW DELHI: Covid-19 testing will no longer be mandatory for asymptomatic donors and recipients undergoing organ transplantation — whether from living or deceased donors — except in the case of lung transplants, where RT-PCR testing will remain compulsory for both donor and recipient.Issuing revised national transplant-specific guidelines, Dr Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), circulated an office memorandum on Tuesday to all states and Union Territories.For symptomatic cases, the decision to conduct Covid-19 testing has been left to the treating clinician’s discretion, based on clinical assessment. Other Covid-related precautions will continue to follow the Health Ministry’s Public Health Division guidelines issued from time to time.Speaking to TOI, Dr Kumar said, “If either the donor or the recipient tests positive for Covid-19, the entire donation process has to be abandoned, even when the family’s consent and declaration formalities have been completed.”The revised norms were finalised based on recommendations of the Apex Technical Committee of NOTTO and expert feedback. Officials said the changes come amid evidence that Covid-19 vaccination status of the donor or recipient has not impacted transplant outcomes, and the criterion is not being implemented under any government programme.The memorandum also observed that waiting for Covid-19 test results often delayed deceased donor organ allocation, affecting the timely utilisation of viable organs.According to the national Covid-19 dashboard, only 30,542 cases have been reported across India since January 2025 — a sharp decline compared to the pandemic years. During the peak phase, nearly 10% of organs were discarded due to positive Covid-19 results, officials said.Recognising that organ donation rates in India remain among the lowest globally, NOTTO stated that organs from asymptomatic donors were often rejected solely because of positive Covid-19 tests, leading to avoidable loss of viable organs and tissues that could have saved or improved many lives.According to NOTTO website, in 2024, a total of 18,911 organ transplants were carried out across India.
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