Donor Heart Transported from Thane in Record 17 Minutes via Green Corridor
A 38-year-old woman’s gift of life offers hope to a critically ill patient
In a powerful reminder of how compassion, coordination, and timely action can save lives, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, successfully received a donor heart from Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Thane, in just 17 minutes, made possible through a carefully coordinated green corridor.
The donor, a 38-year-old woman, was declared brain-dead following a hypertensive cranial bleed. After confirmation by a board of medical experts, her family made the courageous decision to donate her organs, an act that turned personal loss into hope for others.
A specialised transplant retrieval team was immediately mobilised. With seamless coordination between hospital teams and the Traffic Police Department, a green corridor was created, ensuring uninterrupted and swift transport of the donor heart. The heart left Mahavir Hospital and reached Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital within 17mins. As per ZTCC norms, it was allocated to a 60-year-old male patient suffering from end-stage heart failure. The transplant surgery is currently underway.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sameer Kulkarni, CEO, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, said:
“India has more than 80,000 plus patients waiting for organ transplants, yet our organ donation rate remains below one donor per million population. While over 18,000 plus organ transplants were performed in 2024, the highest ever recorded in the country, the demand still far exceeds availability.
Organ donation is one of the most powerful acts of humanity. A single donor can save up to eight lives. We are deeply grateful to the donor’s family for their courage and compassion during an incredibly difficult time. We also commend the ZTCC for their tireless efforts and sincerely thank the Traffic Police for their swift coordination, without which time-critical transplants like this would not be possible.
We urge more people to come forward and pledge organ donation, so that many more patients can be given a second chance at life.”
This life-saving transfer stands as a testament to what is possible when systems work together—and when humanity leads the way.