Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced on Saturday, September 23, that funerals of organ donors will be conducted with state honour from now on. “In order to honour the sacrifice of those who donated their organs and saved many lives, the funerals of organ donors before death will now be conducted with state honour!” Stalin said. 

The Chief Minister said that Tamil Nadu is “the leading state in the country in giving life to hundreds of patients through organ donation”. He also said that this has been “made possible by the selfless sacrifices of families who come forward to donate their organs in the tragic situation of brain dead family members.” 

In August, Tamil Nadu received the best state award for Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). Tamil Nadu has for several years, facilitated by the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN), been recognised as the leading state in the country for organ transplantation. The inception of the Tamil Nadu Cadaver Transplant Program in 2008 has also significantly contributed to the state’s records.