Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill passed to bridge organ demand-supply gap and curb trafficking in Andhra Pradesh

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The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed A.P. Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to bridge the gap in the demand and supply of organs and curb organ trafficking.

The transplantation of human organs in the State is governed by the AP Transplantation of Human Organs Act of 1995, which is in alignment with the Central legislation of Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994.

The State Act had to be amended as certain changes were made to the Central Act through the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, 2011 to adapt to the evolving medical needs and ethical challenges.

The State Act primarily is focused on human organs and the 2011 Amendments officially expanded the legal framework to include human tissues such as skin, cornea, heart valves, tendons and bone marrow, thereby renaming the legislation as the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act.

To address the organ demand-supply mismatch, the Amendment Act of 2011 expanded the definition of ‘near relative’ to include grandparents and grandchildren, allowing a broader legal pool of living donors without requiring the complex approval processes mandated for unrelated donors.

The 2011 Amendments also introduced provisions for swap donations, enabling two incompatible donor-recipient pairs to ‘swap’ donors so that both recipients can receive compatible organs. This provision is aimed at increasing the opportunities for successful transplantation within families.

In the 2011 Amendment Act, procedural safeguards have been tightened to protect vulnerable populations, strictly prohibiting organ or tissue removal from mentally challenged persons and restricting donations from minors.

The amendments addressed international concerns by requiring Authorisation Committee approval for foreign nationals and prohibiting Indian nationals from donating to foreigners unless they are near relatives.

When specialised neurologists are unavailable for brain death certification, the amendments permit the nomination of independent practitioners to avoid delays, provided they are not part of the transplant team.

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