Kochi: The two-year-long dream of using helicopters for faster transportation of organs, including liver and heart, for transplantation is yet to materialise with different factors, including cost, coming as hindrance.
One of the major issues is the pattern of accidents in the state which makes it impossible to transport organs by air.
“Helicopters are able to operate during daytime from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, many road accidents in Kerala take place during evenings and nights. The brain-dead victims of accidents are the major donors of organs. Hence, it has become impossible to use helicopters in their transportation,” said Dr Jose Chacko Periapuram, heart transplant surgeon in Kochi, who made a bid to launch the air ambulance service by roping in Bangalore-based Chipson Aviation.
According to him, the heart transplantation has to take place in four hours of detaching the organ from the donor. “It is a great risk taking it by road now,” said Dr Jose Chacko.
The plan for jets in the transportation too has not taken off since airport-to-airport transportation only is possible in this mode and not to the near hospital.
Liver transplant surgeon based in Thiruvananthapuram Dr B, Venugopal said that elsewhere in the country, the concept of air ambulance was fast picking up, especially in Chennai. He said liver transplant had to be done in eight to 10 hours of harvesting.
According to Mr Sunil Narayanan, Director (Operations), Chipson Aviation, it needs Rs 3 lakh for commissioning a helicopter stationed in Kochi for transportation of organs from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram. “In fact, hospitals can form a consortium and insurance companies and the central and state governments should support it to let the idea take off,” said Mr Sunil. Dr Jose Chacko also stressed the need for government support for air ambulance.
