Organ Donation Law Meets Medicine: Building a Stronger Bridge Between Law and Healthcare in India
By Adv. Prashant Ajmera
Co-founder, OneIndiaOneLaw.org
Organ Donation Law | Living Will | Medico-Legal Issues
Organ transplantation is one of the most remarkable achievements of modern medicine. It gives patients a second chance at life and brings together surgeons, physicians, intensivists, transplant coordinators, nurses, anaesthesiologists, palliative-care professionals and families in some of the most complex circumstances in healthcare.
But transplantation is not only a medical process.
It is also a legal process.
Every living donation, organ retrieval, transplantation decision and end-of-life situation can involve important questions of law, consent, authorisation, patient rights and family rights.
This is where Organ Donation Law becomes an essential part of the conversation.
As an Advocate and Co-founder of OneIndiaOneLaw.org, I have been working pro-bono in the area of organ-donation law and Living Wills. I am honoured to have been invited as a faculty member, speaker and/or panelist at a series of leading medical conferences in India during 2026–27.
Together with our volunteer lawyer Adv. Gayatri Virmani, I look forward to engaging directly with medical professionals and transplant teams to explore the practical intersection between medicine and law.
Taking Organ Donation Law to the Medical Community
Between October 2026 and February 2027, these engagements will bring us into conversation with professionals working in heart and lung transplantation, organ-transplant coordination, liver transplantation, anaesthesiology and palliative care.
1. Indian Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation – Annual Conference
2–4 October 2026 | Chennai
The 7th Annual Conference of the Indian Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (INSHLT 2026) is being held at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. A Foundation Track is scheduled for 1 October, followed by the main conference from 2–4 October. (INSHLT 2026)
INSHLT 2026
Heart and lung transplantation involves highly complex clinical decisions. It also raises important questions concerning consent, donation, allocation, documentation, family involvement and the legal framework governing transplantation.
2. NATCO – Annual International Conference
9–10 October 2026 | Hyderabad
The Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators (NATCO) will hold its 19th Annual International Conference in Hyderabad on 9–10 October 2026. NATCO describes itself as a membership organisation focused on the advancement of organ and tissue donation and the professional development of transplant coordinators. (Natco)
NATCO
Transplant coordinators often stand at the intersection of the patient, family, hospital and regulatory system. Their work therefore has an important medico-legal dimension.
3. Liver Transplantation Society of India – Annual Conference
11–13 December 2026 | Chennai
The 9th Annual Conference of the Liver Transplantation Society of India (LTSI) is scheduled for 11–13 December 2026 in Chennai, with a pre-conference consensus meeting on 10 December. The conference brings together the multidisciplinary teams involved in liver transplantation. (ltsicon2026chennai.com)
Liver Transplantation Society of India
Liver transplantation presents its own range of legal and ethical questions, particularly around donor evaluation, consent, authorisation, allocation and the relationship between medical necessity and statutory requirements.
4. Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists – ISACON 2026
25–29 November 2026 | Kovalam, Kerala
The 73rd Annual National Conference of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists, ISACON National 2026, is scheduled for 25–29 November 2026 at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. (isacon2026national.com)
Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists
Anaesthesiologists frequently deal with some of the most difficult decisions surrounding critical illness, life support, perioperative care and transplantation. These clinical situations can have significant legal implications.
5. Indian Association of Palliative Care – IAPCON 2027
19–21 February 2027 | Bhubaneswar
The 34th Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care, IAPCON 2027, will take place at the Convention Complex, SOA University, Bhubaneswar, from 19–21 February 2027, with a pre-conference workshop on 18 February. (I A P C)
Indian Association of Palliative Care
The intersection between palliative care, end-of-life decisions, Advance Medical Directives and organ donation is particularly important. These conversations require sensitivity, clarity and an understanding of both medical ethics and the applicable legal framework.
Why Does Organ Donation Law Matter to Doctors?
India’s transplantation system operates within a statutory framework, including the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA) and its associated rules and procedures.
The legal framework recognises both living and deceased donation pathways and provides for mechanisms including Authorisation Committees and certification of brain-stem death. (Notto)
For doctors and transplant professionals, understanding these legal requirements is not simply an administrative exercise.
It can directly affect how difficult situations are managed.
Among the issues that deserve greater discussion are:
⚖️ Living Donation & THOTA
Living organ donation involves strict legal requirements relating to consent, relationships between donor and recipient, documentation and approvals.
⚖️ Authorisation Committees
The Authorisation Committee has an important role in the legal process governing certain living donations. Understanding its role and the documentation required can help transplant teams navigate the process more effectively. (Notto)
📜 Living Wills & Advance Medical Directives
An Advance Medical Directive, commonly referred to as a Living Will, raises important questions about a person’s wishes regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care.
The Supreme Court’s framework concerning Advance Directives has also evolved, making awareness among healthcare professionals particularly important. (Notto)
👨👩👧 Patient & Family Rights
Patients and families often encounter the healthcare and legal systems simultaneously. Clear communication about rights, responsibilities and available legal mechanisms can reduce uncertainty during already difficult circumstances.
🏥 Practical Medico-Legal Issues
Doctors and transplant teams may encounter situations where the clinical solution and the legal requirements do not appear straightforward.
This is precisely where dialogue between medicine and law becomes valuable.
Medicine and Law Must Work Together
There is sometimes a perception that law enters healthcare only when there is a dispute.
That should not be the approach.
Good legal understanding can help prevent disputes before they arise.
For organ donation and transplantation, lawyers and medical professionals should be able to sit at the same table and discuss the practical realities faced by patients, families, hospitals and transplant teams.
The objective is not to make doctors into lawyers.
Nor is it to make lawyers into doctors.
The objective is to create better understanding between the two disciplines.
From the Courtroom to the Conference Room
My work in Organ Donation Law has reinforced one important principle:
The law must ultimately serve the patient.
When a family is trying to donate an organ to save the life of a loved one, legal procedures can sometimes feel overwhelming.
When a patient is approaching the end of life, questions about consent, treatment decisions and Advance Medical Directives can become deeply personal.
When a transplant team is trying to act quickly in a complex clinical situation, understanding the legal framework can be just as important as understanding the medical protocol.
This is why I believe legal education should become part of the broader conversation within transplantation and critical care.
Building a Culture of Legal Awareness in Organ Donation
Through OneIndiaOneLaw.org, our objective is to contribute to greater awareness and EDUCATION of the legal issues surrounding organ donation, transplantation and end-of-life decision-making.
These upcoming engagements provide an opportunity to listen to medical professionals as much as to speak to them.
Doctors, surgeons, transplant coordinators, intensivists, anaesthesiologists and palliative-care professionals encounter practical challenges that cannot always be understood from a purely legal perspective.
Their experiences can help lawyers understand where the law works well, where procedures create difficulties and where greater legal clarity may be needed.
That dialogue is essential.
A Shared Responsibility
Organ donation ultimately depends on trust.
Trust between donor and recipient.
Trust between patients and doctors.
Trust between families and hospitals.
And trust in the legal and regulatory system.
Awareness can create understanding.
Education can create confidence.
And constructive dialogue between medicine and law can help build a transplantation system that is more informed, transparent and patient-centred.
I am deeply grateful to the medical societies and professionals who have opened their platforms to these conversations.
I look forward to meeting the medical community across Chennai, Hyderabad, Kovalam and Bhubaneswar and continuing the conversation on one of the most important intersections of modern healthcare:
Organ Donation Law × Medicine
Let us build a stronger bridge between Medicine and Law for Organ Donation in India.
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About the Author
Adv. Prashant Ajmera is Co-founder of OneIndiaOneLaw.org and works pro-bono in the area of Organ Donation Law and Living Wills. His work focuses on creating greater awareness of the legal and medico-legal dimensions of organ donation, transplantation, Advance Medical Directives and end-of-life decision-making. He consider this as his Professional Social Responsibility (PSR)
