National Meet on Skin Donation at AIIMS: Experts Push for Awareness and Stronger Skin Banking Across India
The Department of Plastic, reconstructive and Burns Surgery at AIIMS New Delhi, along with Organ retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO) organised a national brainstorming session on skin banking and skin donation
The meeting brought together burns and plastic surgeons, ORBO, NOTTO, hospital administrators, faculty from Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, NGOs, nurses and technicians, with participation from 22 skin banks across India. The objective was to review current practices and develop strategies to strengthen skin banking services nationwide.
Prof. Maneesh Singhal, Head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Burns Surgery at AlIMS, New Delhi, outlined the journey of the AIIMS Delhi Skin Bank from its inception to its current status. He highlighted the demand for skin grafts significantly outweigh the supply. On average, 7 million people receive burn injuries every year, of which 150,000 die and 250,000 are left crippled due to the severity of their burns.
Prof. Aarti Vij emphasized key challenges that need to be addressed, including raising awareness about skin donation, training retrieval teams, ensuring proper infrastructure for skin banks, integrating skin donation with existing organ donation networks, and investing in technology and research.
Dr Anil Kumar, Director, NOTTO, presented the national registry for skin donation and transplantation, designed as a central portal for skin donation and banking, and clarified policy issues such as Licensing criteria for skin banks and collection centres.
Skin bank representatives shared their data, SOPs, operational models, and key challenges, through these exchanges, centres were able to clarify operational doubts, learn from each other’s innovations, and offer constructive suggestions for streamlining processes and improving quality standards.
Dr Sunil Keswani, Director, National Burns Centre, Mumbai, shared SOPs and lessons from over 17 years of skin banking experience, focusing on quality assurance.
Major challenges identified included low public awareness, limited funding and institutional support, and logistical constraints in retrieving skin from distant locations within the optimal six-hour window. Participants recommended developing a national network of skin collection and banking centres to enable coordinated, timely response and better utilisation of donations.
The sessions were moderated by Dr Shivangi Saha, Assistant Professor, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, along with Dr Nandini Tanwar and Dr Manju R. The meeting concluded with consensus on a set of action-oriented recommendations to streamline operations, enhance donation, and improve the quality and reach of skin banking services across the country.
Deshbandhu Singh is the Senior Managing Editor at Medical Dialogues and Health Dialogues with about three decades of experience in both print and digital journalism. Previously, he has held editorial leadership roles at NDTV (Head of Digital Content Strategy and Senior Executive Editor), India Today Group Digital, Hindustan Times, Times Internet, and Sahara India. He is known for his expertise in digital content strategy, newsroom operations, and the launch of leading web and mobile platforms in Indian media.