Abstract Until recently, financial incentive was the prime motivation in transplantation of kidneys from nonrelated living donors in India. Prior to the Human Organ Transplantation Act of 1994, it was legal in all states of India to purchase and merchandise organs, eliminating the opportunity for black markets currently created by the enormous demand for organs. Despite the Transplantation of Human Organ Act passed in Indian Parliament in 1994, cadaver liver and/or kidney transplant are infrequently performed (in a few private hospitals) in our country compared to living donor liver or kidney transplant. The need for performing more cadaver liver and/or kidney transplants in private and public hospitals is obvious. Immediate measures which should be taken to facilitate more cadaver organ transplant both in private and public hospitals are suggested. This article reveals attitudes and beliefs about organ donation in India from the perspectives of the public. Mistrust of the medical profession and concerns about illegal buying and selling of organs were some major issues in organ donation. Additional issues were the need for public education, advertisement, and role models to promote organ donation in India.
Keywords: Organ Donation; Challenges; Public Education; Brain Death; Organ Transplantation.