What is ‘Human Organ Transportation Drone’?

The technological advancement has paved the way for unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as drones, to deliver human organs. India’s first prototype drone for human organ transportation was unveiled virtually by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday. This initiative by MGM Healthcare is supposed to move the box containing organs at a first pace. 

What is the ‘Human Organ Transportation Drone’?

The most in the world after the United States and China, India is in the third position with a maximum 17,000-18,000 solid organ transplantation every year. Organ Transportation requires significant coordination between transplant coordinators, organ donation organisations, recipients and donor hospital and transportation couriers. Due to unwanted circumstances, when shipment is inefficient or prolonged, organs experience increased cold ischaemia time which can further result in fatality. And to defend such circumstances, the human organ transportation drone can be a boon.

MGM மருத்துவமனையில் 500க்கும் மேற்பட்ட இதய மற்றும் நுரையீரல் மாற்று அறுவை சிகிச்சை மேற்கொண்டதற்கு பாரட்டுவிழா மிகச் சிறப்பாக நடைபெற்றது. #Masubramanian #TNHealthminister #HeartTransplant #LiverTransplant @MGMHealthcare pic.twitter.com/9zDDBlqmBa

— Subramanian.Ma (@Subramanian_ma) September 3, 2022

The prototype of unmanned aerial vehicles to provide aid to human organ transplantation is co-created by MGM Healthcare. Dr Prashanth Rajagopalan, the hospital director, informed the media that the transportation of human organs will be done by a Chennai-based drone company.

Adding further, he shared that these ‘human organ transporting drones’ will be able to cover a distance of a maximum of 20 kilometers. 

“The use of drones in moving the harvested organs for the airport to the hospital, as against the existing mode, by road from the airport, will reduce considerable time. This, in turn, will facilitate quick organ transplant”, he said.

Success will serve as catalyst

The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday praised MGM Healthcare for their contribution and said that this is an innovative approach to solving the problem of organ transportation. He said that this initiative will be great enough to resolve the logistics for organ transportation and will also add to his measures to improve the infrastructure.

"We have started the expressway project from Delhi to Dehradun. It will reduce time. I am very much cautious about organ transportation. The transportation time will be lesser and the expressway will be greenfield alignment operated with a closed door system," he stated.

The inauguration program came to an end with felicitation of Dr. K R Balakrishnan, Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, and Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare; and his team for performing over 500 successful heart and lung transplants. He also lauded the hospital management for running the largest adult and pediatric heart transplant program in India.