Green channel Magic: Lungs delivered in time to save a life

In a life-saving operation today, Hyderabad Traffic Police in coordination with Cyberabad Traffic established a Green Channel for the urgent transport of lungs from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad. The swift initiative ensured that the organ reached the hospital in minimal time, highlighting the authorities’ commitment to saving lives and promoting organ donation awareness.

What makes today’s operation particularly significant is the nature of the organ involved. Lungs are extremely time-sensitive, with a viability window of just 4–6 hours outside the body. This makes rapid, uninterrupted transport essential, as even small delays can compromise the success of the transplant. Coordinating the transport from the airport to the hospital in a busy city like Hyderabad required meticulous planning, real-time traffic management, and close collaboration between multiple agencies.

The Green Channel process begins with the donor hospital notifying all relevant authorities once an organ becomes available. Traffic police then map the fastest route and clear intersections, signals, and key junctions in real time. Ambulances travel under police escort, with continuous communication to ensure that the organ arrives safely and promptly. Recipient hospitals prepare surgical teams in advance to begin the transplant immediately upon arrival. Technology such as GPS tracking, mobile updates, and temperature monitoring of the organ ensures that the operation runs smoothly.

For organs transported between states, the process becomes more complex. Interstate Green Channels involve coordination between the donor and recipient hospitals, state health departments, local police in both states, and sometimes the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO). Air transport is often used for long distances, with special handling by airlines and airport authorities to prioritize the organ as emergency medical cargo. Legal documentation, including donor and recipient consents and transport manifests, ensures smooth compliance with the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act. Continuous communication and real-time monitoring are critical to maintain the organ’s viability during transit.

Over the past year, under the Jeevandan programme, Telangana has recorded 154 cadaver organ donations so far in 2025, contributing to hundreds of successful transplants. This demonstrates that today’s lung transport is not an isolated feat, but part of a growing trend of life-saving organ transplantation in the state. The increase in donors and transplants reflects improved public trust, better infrastructure, and highly efficient coordination between traffic police, hospitals, and transplant networks.

Today’s operation highlights the importance of multi-agency collaboration, advanced planning, and real-time management in ensuring life-saving organs reach patients on time. It reinforces the city’s commitment to organ donation and sets an example for how urban infrastructure and emergency services can combine to save lives.