A heart harvested from a Nepalese-origin person at a city hospital here was transported to another hospital through an over 8-km-long 'green corridor' in nearly nine minutes in the wee hours today for transplantation in a 20-year-old boy from Bhiwani.
The organ was transported from Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj to Max Hospital in Saket.
"The donor was a 41-year-old man of Nepalese-origin. He was brought into the emergency ward after a road accident on late November 20. The patient was non-responsive and unconscious at the time of arrival, and despite best efforts by doctors, he could not be revived, and was pronounced brain dead on Tuesday," an official of Fortis Hospital said.
"The green corridor was opened at 02:21 AM and closed at 02:29 AM today. The distance was covered in 8 minutes and 30 seconds," a senior Delhi Traffic Police official said.
Besides, the heart, one of his kidneys was sent to Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh in east Delhi, which was donated to a 52-year-old woman recipient.
"The other kidney was transplanted in a 46-year-old woman. Both women recipients were from Delhi. The corneas were sent to city-based Venu Eye Centre," the Fortis Hospital official added.
Incidentally, the transplants took place ahead of the National Organ Donation Day which falls later this month.
"It is extremely motivating to see a gradual shift in public perception on the issue of organ donation in our country. As per available statistics, in 2015, there were 570 donations following brain death cases in the country, resulting in transplantation of a total of 1,675 organs including 1,007 kidneys, 510 livers, 110 hearts, 37 lungs, 4 pancreas and 2 small intestines.
"These are not small numbers in a country where, till a decade ago, organ donation was synonymous with the donation of a kidney or part of the liver from a living donor," said Avnish Seth, Director, Fortis Organ Retrieval and Transplant (FORT).
(REOPENS DES66)
Another 'green corridor' was today created in Delhi for transporting a liver of woman after her brain death.
"The corridor was provided from Max Hospital, Saket to ILBS Hospital, Vasant Kunj. It began on 12:02 AM and completed at 12:10 AM, during which the organ was transported over a distance of 7 km in 8 minutes and 28 seconds," the Delhi Traffic Police official said.
"The recipient was a 38-year-old man, who was suffering from chronic liver disease," hospital authorities said.
