We have heard of and even watched movies on organs quickly transported from one city to another via road or air. A few days ago, a brain-dead five-day-old infant's liver from Surat was transported by the Tejas Rajdhani Express to Mumbai to treat a 13-month-old boy with a rare congenital metabolic disorder admitted at Nanavati Hospital. The condition, called Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type 1, had reportedly impaired the baby's liver function severely. As the roads between Mumbai and Surat are treacherous, with frequent interruptions and a long travel time of 8 hours, the Nanavati Hospital authorities opted for a train. Though the hospital had the option of a chartered flight, they decided against it as the cost involved was around 10 lakh.
The transportation process
The medical team reportedly left Mumbai to harvest the organ at 3.55 pm on Saturday and reached Surat at 7.10 pm. This was followed by a 30-minute drive to hospital. After the organ harvesting process, the team left the hospital at 4.40 am on Sunday. They boarded the train back to Mumbai at 5.15 am and reached Mumbai at 7.40 am. The Mumbai Traffic Police, railway authorities and hospitals worked together to facilitate a Green corridor (a route that facilitates rapid movement of vehicles to ensure transit of patients or travel in similar health emergencies) for the journey.
