Kolhapur-Pune Green Corridor facilitates liver transplant

More than 100 policemen created the green corridor by blocking the traffic and allowing free and continuous passage to the vehicle transporting the liver. (Representational Image)  

A green corridor was created on May 5 between Aster Adhar Hospital, Kolhapur, to Jupiter Hospital, Pune, to save the life of a 60-year-old patient suffering from the end stages of liver disease. The distance was covered in less than three hours, which otherwise takes six hours, with the help of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) and traffic police. The traffic team was led by Vishwas Nagare Patil, IGP Kolhapur, and Ashok Morale, DCP traffic. More than 100 policemen created the green corridor by blocking the traffic and allowing free and continuous passage to the vehicle transporting the liver.

The liver was harvested in Kolhapur at noon and was in Baner, Pune, by 7.30 pm. The 33-year-old donor was declared brain dead on May 4 after a road accident on April 30. His family volunteered to donate his organs, which gave a new lease of life to a patient from Pune. The patient donated three organs — heart to Mumbai, liver to Pune, one kidney to Kolhapur and second kidney to Solapur. The liver transplant was performed by a team of surgeons headed by Dr. Sharan Narute of Jupiter Hospital, Narute, liver transplant surgeon of Jupiter Hospitals, said: “The decision by the patient’s family to donate his liver to a needy patient is also worth appreciating. It is very important to note that, through organ donation, one man can give a new lease of life to another man. Jupiter Hospital is trying its level best to increase awareness about organ donation.”

Dr Sunil Rao, chief operating officer, Jupiter Hospitals, said: “Society will benefit if more people like this come forward for organ donation.” The patient had undergone a living donor liver transplantation one month back for chronic problem due to fatty liver. The patient had recurrent hospital admissions because of gastrointestinal bleeds. His daughter had donated a part of the liver and the patient had a smooth recovery. He was then discharged. However, a month later, his liver function deteriorated because of poor supply. An appeal to the Zonal Transplant Coordination Center, Pune, was made for super urgent listing and they agreed to it as it was the only life-saving measure.

Usually it takes six hours to travel from Nashik to Pune, thanks to the green corridor created by traffic police this transportation was achieved in just three hours. “We thank Vishwas Nagare Patil, IGP Kolhapur, Ashok Morale, DCP Pune, and Pune and Nashik traffic control team, for creating this green corridor. Also role of Dr Somnath Chatterjee and Dr Sharan Narute liver transplant team, Aarti Gokhale, ZTCC Central Coordinator and Sagar Kakad, coordinator of Jupiter Hospital, Baner, was very instrumental in coordinating the entire green corridor,” stated a hospital release.