Cops help donor heart get to patient on time

In an example of optimum level of close collaboration and co-operation across state borders, government hospitals, private healthcare and the Delhi traffic police, which provided a green corridor from Delhi airport to a city hospital, a donor heart travelled 18.2 km in just 16 minutes to save a 54-year-old patient suffering from heart stroke.

The 22-year-old brain dead donor’s heart was brought in from Jaipur to the national capital for the recipient hailing from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

A late night call was received by the transplant team of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) from Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur about the availability of a heart from a brain dead male who lost his in a road accident.

“The transplant team from FEHI travelled on a special flight to Jaipur and with the highest level of co-operation and co-ordination from the Jaipur police and the Delhi police was able to harvest the heart in minimum time following all the operative procedures to bring the heart which travelled 241 km of aerial distance to reach Delhi. The kidney and liver were donated for needy patients at Jaipur,” said chairman FEHI, Dr Ashok Seth.