Guidelines for Organ Transport in India

About Guidelines for Organ Transport in India:

• Organ transportation is required when the organ donor and recipient are in different hospitals or cities.
• As per the new SOPs, in the case of air transportation, airlines carrying the organs can request the Air Traffic Control for aircraft’s priority takeoff and landing and arrange front-row seats.
• They can also request priority reservations and provisions for late check-in for medical personnel transporting organs. 
• The source airport will notify the destination airport to facilitate the arrival process.
• The flight captain may announce in flight that human organs are being transported.
• Arrangements for carrying the organ box on trolleys from the aircraft to the ambulance post arrival can also be made by the airport and airline staff.
• Additionally, when the ambulance is only permitted up to the runway, the airline crew can guide and assist the accompanying medical personnel in carrying the organ box directly from the aircraft via the staircase to the waiting ambulance on the runway.
• Green corridor at airports:
  • The SOPs specify that airport officials should establish a “green corridor” and provide a trolley for transporting the organ box from the ambulance to the aircraft at the departure airport and vice versa at the destination airport.
  • They also say that the green corridor may be provided on the request of specific authorities or agencies.
• Sensitising traffic police:
  • The SOPs also emphasize the importance of sensitising state traffic police across various states about organ donation and transplant.
  • They highlight the crucial role of traffic police in expediting organ transport through the creation of green corridors.
• Organ transportation via Metro:
  • Metro Traffic Control must give priority transit for the metro carrying the live human organs.
  • The metro security staff should escort the clinical team carrying the organ box up to their boarding at the metro station.
  • Additionally, a metro official should accompany the clinical teamon the metro and secure the necessary area for the organ box.
  • They add that the Security Hold Area (SHA) should be notified by metro security regarding the transport of live human organs to avoid any delay during security checks.
  • Additionally, the relevant metro personnel at the destination should be informed to ensure proper arrangements for carrying the organs.
• Organ box should be kept incorrect position and orientation i.e. upright straightvertical at 90 degrees to the surface during transport, and label of "handle with care" can be put on the organ box.

The organ box should be secured with a seat belt for greater safety.

Q1: What is the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)?

NOTTO is a national level organization set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Besides laying down policy guidelines and protocols for various functions, it coordinates all the activities associated with organ donation at national level.

Source: Centre issues first-ever guidelines for organ transport across travel modes