In a first, Centre issues SOPs for transportation of human organs
New Delhi, August 4
The Union Health Ministry has come out with its first-ever Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for seamless transport of human organs through various modes of travel, which will allow airlines carrying them to request the Air Traffic Control for priority take-off and landing and also arrange front-row seats.
“By streamlining organ transport process, we aim to maximise the utilisation of precious organs and offer hope to countless patients awaiting life-saving transplants,” Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said.
According to the SOPs for transportation by air, airlines carrying human cadaveric organs can request the Air Traffic Control for priority take-off and landing of the aircraft and arrange front-row seats. Airport officials should define a “green corridor” — free from obstruction — and a trolley for the organ box from ambulance to the aircraft at the airport of origin and vice versa.
To facilitate transport by ambulance and other vehicles, the “green corridor” may be provided on the request of specific authorities. The “One Trigger System” i.e. a request from the organ allocation authority to initiate the process of transport by creation of “green corridors”, may be considered for this purpose, it said. — PTI
