Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals creates Kolkata’s first green corridor to facilitate organ donation from a deceased donor

Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata was witness to an instance of a ‘humane touch’ that transforms lives. The parents of a young student, who had been admitted to the hospital following an accident on October 30, 2016, and was declared brain-dead on November 03, 2016, had decided on multi-organ donation for their only son. This is the third recorded instance of a deceased-donor organ donation in the city this year, and bears testimony to the growing awareness among the public towards this socio-medically important decision.

Swarnendu Roy, an 18 year old who was scheduled to appear for his Higher Secondary examinations at the end of the year, had met with a road traffic accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. He was admitted at the hospital, where a team of surgeons undertook a decompression craniotomy to reverse the damage. However, despite the best efforts of the multi-disciplinary team, the young man slipped into a coma, and was declared brain-dead on the morning of November 03, 2016.

His family contacted the hospital authorities, who got in touch with the Department of Health, Government of West Bengal, to facilitate this noble decision. The Health Department officials extended prompt support, and on completion of the necessary formalities, Swarnendu’s kidneys, liver and cornea were harvested for transplant. One of the kidneys was given to a recipient at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals itself. A team of doctors were flown in from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi to undertake the procedures in collaboration with the expert surgeons at the hospital.

The Kolkata Police, played a key role in the entire process, creating the first ‘Green Corridor’ in the history of the city to ensure that the harvested organs reached the target destination in the shortest possible time. A ‘Green Corridor’ refers to a special route that is created by the police for the expediting organ transfers. The traffic signals along the entire stretch are turned green, clearing traffic congestion, while a police escort car leads the organ-carrying vehicle on its journey.