NEW DELHI : The government has issued strict orders to states to stop taking registration fee from patients. India is streamlining the process of organ donation by introducing a uniform domestic policy that aims to be patient-friendly, speed up the process of transplants and remove technical hurdles for patients moving from one state. TRENDING STORIES See All Premium Could electric vehicles be hacked? Premium Tesla recalls over 3 lakh cars due to self-driving cras . . . Premium Spain passes 'menstrual leave' law in first for Europe Premium Why slow motion really does help sell luxury goods The government has also chalked out a special curriculum for school children of all ages with a chapter on organ donation. Under the new provision, any individual or recipient can register for an organ in any part of the country and get the transplant done. “We have scrapped the domicile policy under which a needy patient had to register for organ donation in their own state and get the organ transplant done in their respective states only. In addition to this, we have also removed the age cap of 65 years, who were not eligible for cadaver organ transplant earlier. In the “one nation one organ donation policy" individuals can register themselves for organ donation on the government platform," said one health ministry official. The National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), the country’s apex organ donation agency, has framed this policy in consultation with state governments. During the process of registering for organ donation, some states used to charge money from needy patients. The government has issued strict orders to states to stop taking registration fee from patients. “It has also been brought to our notice that a few states used to charge registration fee of around ₹ 5,000 to ₹ 10,000 from patients. This provision has now been removed," said another health ministry official. Organs like heart, kidneys, eyes, pancreas, lungs and liver harvested from just one braindead person can save at least seven lives. At any given point of time in a metro city, about 10 patients are referred to intensive care units as braindead. Doctors say that every year hundreds of thousands of patients languish on waiting lists at top hospitals for life-saving organ transplants amid an acute shortage of donors and social and religious stigma surrounding organ donation. MORE FROM THIS SECTION See All Premium Premium More women with breast cancer could skip harsh radiatio . . . Premium Premium Male birth control stopped sperm in mice, study found Premium Premium Men at higher risk from Covid-19. Researchers say THIS . . . Premium Premium Saudi Arabia's first-ever woman astronaut to go on a sp . . . In India, nearly 50,000 people are in need of heart transplants, another 200,000 for kidney, and 100,000 each for liver and eye transplants every year. But supply lags far behind. “There is a need for massive awareness campaign on organ donation in the country. The numbers have gone up in the last few years but still needs a push. The health ministry has developed a special chapter on organ donation to sensitize school children of all age groups on organ donation. Very soon it will be added school syllabus circular," said the second official. The challenges for organ donation include poor awareness among doctors, patient and police, religious sensitivities and lack of medical infrastructure. Live organs have a short self-life. After retrieval of the organ from a body, the heart is alive for only six hours. Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Priyanka Sharma Priyanka Shamra is a health and pharma journalist with nearly nine years of field reporting experience. She is a special correspondent with Mint. Her beat includes covering the Ministry of Health and Department of Pharmaceuticals. She also covers the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Department of Biotechnology. Read more from this author Catch all the Business News , Market News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates. More Less OPEN IN APP.