The Tamil Nadu Health Department is exploring the possibility of collaborating with air ambulance services to give a fillip to the organ donation programme and to help victims of major accidents.
“Preliminary discussions on the viability of such an initiative are on,” said State Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan. The discussions were part of a review meeting presided over by Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Monday. The State, which tops in organ donation and transplants across the country, is planning to expand its cadaver organ donation and transplant programme to Tier II cities, and is also looking at improving the ‘viability’ of organs. At present, a few private hospitals use air ambulance services to fly in organs and critically ill patients. Last year, Coimbatore-based Ganga Hospital launched its air ambulance, a helicopter that can carry two patients at a time. Apollo Hospitals too has launched an air ambulance service, in partnership with Bengaluru-based Air Aviators Rescue, to connect small cities in the South.
