In a first, Hyderabad Metro rushes with beating heart to save a life

HYDERABAD: In a unique first, the Hyderabad Metro Rail was run for transporting a live heart from Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar to Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, on Tuesday.

"Hyderabad Metro Rail created a special green corridor today (Tuesday) between Nagole and Jubilee Hills Check post stations to facilitate non-stop transport of a harvested heart from Kamineni Hospital at LB Nagar to save a heart patient admitted at Apollo Hospital at Jubilee Hills," stated  Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd MD NVS Reddy. 

It’s for the first time that such a dedicated passengerless coach was run to transport a heart to save a life, he averred.

The special train, which started from Nagole Metro station, picked up the healthy heart harvested from a brain-dead patient in Kamineni Hospital at around 4.40 PM  and paced through the entire stretch of 21 kilometers nonstop, crossing 16 stations between Nagole and Jubilee Hills. 

It took 30 minutes for the train to reach Jubilee Hills Check post station said L&T MRHL MD KVB Reddy. 

All stations were kept on guard regarding the movement of this special train. An ambulance was kept ready at Jubilee Hills Check post station to take the heart and rush to the hospital. A team of medical experts only travelled along with the harvested heart in the special train, he added.

"We decided to take the metro and not road route as it was a 21 km journey via several traffic-intensive areas which will take at least 60 minutes or more due to certain flyover works. The metro will take barely 30-40 minutes," said Anoop Antony, Transplant coordinator of Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills.