Centre issues guidelines on transporting organs for first time

The Union Health Ministry has released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for transporting human organs using various modes of transportation such as air, road, railways, and waterways. These SOPs are intended to guide and streamline the process of transporting organs for transplant across the country. The aim is to maximize the utilization of organs and provide hope to patients in need of life-saving transplants. According to the SOPs, when a live organ needs to be transported between hospitals, the transport process should be prioritized, and arrangements should be made to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of the organ.

The SOPs provide specific guidelines for transportation by air, road, trains, ports, and even through metro transit. It also emphasizes the need for collaboration between various agencies involved in organ transportation to ensure the timely and secure delivery of organs to recipients. The SOPs for transportation by air include provisions for airlines to request priority take-off and landing, as well as accommodations for medical personnel transporting organs.

The SOPs also outline the procedures to be followed at airports to facilitate the smooth transfer of organs from the aircraft to the ambulance. Moreover, the SOPs stress the importance of creating “green corridors” free from obstruction to expedite the transport of organs by ambulance and other vehicles.

The creation of “green corridors” can be initiated by a request from the organ allocation authority, and the SOPs also recommend appointing nodal officers from the police department to oversee the process in each state/city.

Furthermore, the SOPs highlight the need to sensitize state traffic police about organ donation and transplant to expedite organ transport.

They also provide guidelines for the transportation of live human organs through metro transit, emphasizing the need for priority transit and security arrangements.

These SOPs have been developed in consultation with the NITI Aayog, concerned ministries, and transplant professionals to address the challenges associated with organ transport.

Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), emphasized the critical nature of transporting live solid organs and the coordination required between various agencies involved in the process.