Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Wednesday formally felicitated three state-run hospitals after they received national awards recognising their work in organ donation, retrieval and transplantation. The awards, received at the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day ceremony in New Delhi on August 3, were presented to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Council of Ministers during the state Cabinet meeting.
Institutions and categories recognised
The three institutions honoured were the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC), Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and New Civil Hospital, Surat. Each received a separate national recognition:
- IKDRC — Excellence in Leading Government Hospital in Organ Transplantation
- Ahmedabad Civil Hospital — Best Non-Transplant Organ Retrieval Centre (NTORC)
- New Civil Hospital, Surat — Best Brain Stem Death Team
Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya handed over the awards to the Chief Minister and members of the Council of Ministers, who acknowledged the health department’s efforts and congratulated the respective teams.
Performance data behind the awards
Officials provided performance figures that underline Gujarat’s contribution to organ transplantation services. According to the Health Department, IKDRC completed a total of 597 organ transplants in 2025. The breakdown includes 502 kidney, 86 liver and 9 pancreas transplants.
"Of these, 380 patients received free transplantation under the PM-JAY scheme. Thirty-four per cent of patients treated at the institute were from other states, reflecting its reach beyond Gujarat," said Praful Pansheriya, giving details of the achievements.
At Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, retrieval teams recovered 171 organs and 34 tissues from 48 deceased donors, drawn from 104 recorded brain stem death cases during 2025–26. New Civil Hospital in Surat certified 82 brain stem death cases during the same period, reflecting active identification and counselling processes.
| Hospital | Key achievement | Notable figures (2025 / 2025–26) |
|---|---|---|
| IKDRC, Ahmedabad | Leading Government Hospital in Organ Transplantation | 597 transplants (502 kidney, 86 liver, 9 pancreas); 380 under PM-JAY; 34% patients from other states |
| Ahmedabad Civil Hospital | Best Non-Transplant Organ Retrieval Centre (NTORC) | 171 organs, 34 tissues from 48 deceased donors; 104 brain stem death cases recorded |
| New Civil Hospital, Surat | Best Brain Stem Death Team | 82 brain stem death certifications |
Implications for patients and the state health system
Health officials said the awards underscore improvements in both clinical capacity and the organ donation chain, from early recognition of brain stem death to family counselling and organ retrieval. The fact that over a third of IKDRC’s transplant recipients came from outside Gujarat indicates the institute’s regional referral role and its capacity to treat complex cases.
Use of the PM-JAY scheme for 380 transplants at IKDRC also highlights the financial protection available to economically vulnerable patients for high-cost procedures. For state health planners, sustained performance in retrieval and certification will be critical to expanding transplant access.
Operational challenges and next steps
While the recognitions were welcomed by the government, maintaining and scaling such services requires continuous inputs: trained retrieval teams, ICU capacity for donors, public awareness about organ donation, and structured counselling to improve consent rates. The Health Department’s officials will likely need to focus on workforce training, inter-hospital coordination and strengthening of donor registries to build on these results.
The felicitation at the Cabinet meeting served both as an official acknowledgement and a signal to administrators to prioritise organ donation pathways across Gujarat’s public hospitals.
— Kiran Patel, Gujarat Correspondent
