Green corridors: Vital lifelines speeding organs to save precious lives

Coordinated, traffic-free routes are helping donor organs reach recipients in record time, improving transplant success rates across India. Find out how such traffic-free routes are create

In the critical hours between organ retrieval and transplant surgery, ‘green corridors’ have emerged as life-saving routes, ensuring organs reach recipients swiftly and in optimal condition.

From Jodhpur, where a kidney was transported to Jaipur in record time, to Hyderabad’s 36-minute road-and-metro heart transfer, these meticulously planned, traffic-free pathways are proving to be vital in boosting transplant success rates.

 

What is a green corridor?

A green corridor is a specially orchestrated, traffic-free route that enables ambulances carrying harvested organs to travel swiftly between hospitals. Key traffic signals along the path are manually controlled to remain green, completely bypassing conventional stop-and-go delays. This coordination, undertaken by traffic police and hospital authorities, cuts down the usual travel time by over 60–70 per cent, making every precious minute count.

 

How does it operate?

Coordination hub: When a hospital notifies traffic authorities of an organ transport, a dedicated response team springs into action.

Traffic management: Traffic lights are manually controlled; pilot vehicles lead the ambulance; constant communication among the hospital, ambulance, and traffic control room ensures a seamless journey.

 

How is it created?

Explaining the process, Pranitha, transplant coordinator at Apollo Hospitals Sheshadripuram, said, “First, we confirm the organ donation. You cannot ask for a green corridor without confirmation because it will cause problems for the public and traffic. Once the donation is confirmed, we identify the recipient hospital.”

She said, “The transplant coordinator then informs the traffic office. One person from the traffic police is assigned specifically for this purpose. They tell us the exact route the ambulance should take. Along that route, they ensure green signals for the ambulance.”

 

When the organ transport begins, the recipient hospital must be connected online to track progress in real time. “We have to inform them exactly where we are, so signals can be made green for us. If any manual intervention is needed, the traffic team immediately creates a manual signal.”

 

If the transport involves the airport, routes are quickly adjusted. “Wherever there’s traffic, it is controlled. We are escorted by a traffic police officer as and when required.”

 

Latest green corridor cases in India

• Surat (August, 2025) – A diamond artisan’s death led to the donation of six organs. His heart was transported via a green corridor from Surat to UN Mehta Hospital in Ahmedabad, while other organs were sent to hospitals in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Surat. Two corneal transplants also restored vision to patients. This marked the 135th green corridor coordinated by Surat Police with NGO Donate Life.
• Nagpur (August, 2025) – The family of a 61-year-old lawyer, declared brain dead, donated his liver and kidneys. The Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) managed the allocation, with a green corridor enabling timely organ delivery to save multiple lives.
• Bhopal (August, 2025) – Madhya Pradesh’s PM Shri Air Ambulance service transported a liver from Jabalpur to Bhopal, supported by green corridors in both cities. A heart was simultaneously flown to Ahmedabad, while one kidney was transplanted locally. This was the service’s third cadaveric organ transfer.
• Bengaluru (July 2025) – Doctors used the Namma Metro to beat heavy weekend traffic, transporting a donor liver from Vydehi Hospital, Whitefield, to Sparsh Hospital, Rajarajeshwarinagar. The 32-station metro ride and final ambulance leg took just over an hour, ensuring a timely transplant.

 

Existing challenges

Discussing the challenges in green corridor coordination, Pranitha said, “The major challenge we have is traffic limitations. For example, if we are going to the rural side, we may not have traffic signals there or might have network issues that impact coordination, wasting valuable time.”

 

She added that inconsistencies in procedures can also slow down operations. "Sometimes protocols are not uniform from one location to another, which also makes coordination more difficult. We need to be on time because organ viability is very important. So if one signal is green, and the next signal does not turn green immediately, we lose precious time.”

 

These hurdles highlight the need for better coordination and infrastructure support. Possible solutions include:

 

• Extending standardised green corridor protocols across urban and rural areas.
• Creating dedicated emergency lanes where possible.
• Using GPS-based traffic synchronisation so signal changes can be triggered automatically in real time.

      

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