Over 500 BPL patients receive free life-saving organ transplant in Karnataka since 2019

More than 500 below-poverty-line (BPL) patients have undergone life-saving organ transplants under Karnataka’s fully State-funded organ transplant scheme since its launch in 2019, underscoring its impact in improving access to advanced healthcare for economically vulnerable families. According to data from the Health Department, the scheme has so far supported 528 organ transplants across Karnataka, including 395 kidney transplants, 57 heart transplants and 73 liver transplants, besides three bone marrow transplants. In addition, the government has funded 6,276 cycles of post-transplant immunosuppression medicines, a critical requirement for long-term transplant success. Implemented through the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), the Organ Transplant Scheme covers only BPL patients who get comprehensive financial assistance covering both high-cost transplant surgery and life-long immunosuppression medicines. The programme is fully funded by the government of Karnataka, and is aimed at ensuring that the cost of treatment does not prevent eligible BPL patients from accessing organ transplantation. “The objective of the scheme is to ensure that no eligible BPL patient in Karnataka is denied organ transplantation because of cost. These procedures involve substantial upfront and long-term expenses, and State support is essential to prevent catastrophic health expenditure among vulnerable families,” said Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary (Health). The scheme was approved on December 3, 2018 and rolled out the next year. Its scope was expanded through a government order dated January 28, 2025, bringing additional procedures under its ambit. Under the scheme, a wide range of transplants are covered, including kidney, heart, liver, heart-lung, lung and allogenic bone marrow transplants. Financial assistance varies by procedure and includes surgical costs as well as post-transplant medication support. Kidney transplants are covered up to ₹2 lakh for surgery, and ₹1 lakh per year for immunosuppression medicines. Heart transplants are supported up to ₹11 lakh per patient while liver transplants are covered up to ₹12 lakh. Higher-cost procedures, such as heart-lung and lung transplant, receive support of up to ₹22.5 lakh and ₹15 lakh, respectively, in addition to annual medicine costs. Allogenic bone marrow transplants are covered between ₹12 lakh and ₹21 lakh, depending on the procedure and age of the patient. The packages include pre-operative investigations, surgery and post-transplant care. “The inclusion of life-long immunosuppression support is one of the most important aspects of the scheme, as continued access to these medicines determines transplant outcomes,” Mr. Gupta said. The total expenditure on transplant surgeries under the scheme has reached ₹22.16 crore, while spending on post-transplant medicines stands at ₹6.28 crore, taking the overall outlay to ₹28.44 crore. Health officials said the programme has significantly expanded access to tertiary care for poorer sections, especially for conditions where transplantation is the only definitive treatment. The scheme makes Karnataka one of the few States to run a fully State-funded transplant model. A patient should first visit a public health institute (Institute of Nephro Urology, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, PMSSY on Victoria hospital campus, or Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant in Bengaluru), or any district hospital (for those who are from other districts), where he/she will be evaluated. The patient should register for organ transplant after getting approval from the authorisation committee (hospital level/district/State level authorisation). In case of cadaveric transplants, the procedure can be conducted in government or private empaneled hospitals as per the registration of the recipient and availability of the organ in the retrieval centre. The allotment policy of Jeevasarthakathe, the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), which is the nodal agency that facilitates cadaver organ donations, is followed.