Union Health Ministry issues guidelines for transporting human organs through various modes of travel

Union Health Ministry has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for transporting human organs through various modes of travel such as air, road, railways and waterways. The SOPs issued by the government will serve as a guiding document for those involved in organ transplants across the country. 

Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said these SOPs are a roadmap for organ retrieval and transplant institutions across the country ensuring adherence to best practices and quality standards. He said, by streamlining organ transport process, government aims to maximise the utilisation of precious organs and offer hope to countless patients awaiting life-saving



transplants.

A live organ needs to be transported between hospitals when both the organ donor and the organ recipient are in different hospitals either within the same city or in different cities. According to the SOPs for transportation by air, airlines carrying human organs can request the Air Traffic Control for priority take-off and landing of the aircraft and arrange front-row seats. Similarly, SOPs to facilitate transport of organs by road, trains and through ports via shipping have been issued to outline the essential guidelines and protocols on it. Organ transport SOPs have been developed in consultation with the NITI Aayog, concerned ministries and transplant professionals.