Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police transported a heart harvested from a brain-dead woman in Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi in a government-rented helicopter on Saturday.
A government-hired helicopter was pressed into service and was flown for its first mission as an air ambulance.
The heart was transplanted into Lina Shibu, a 49-year-old woman, who had been diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy and is under treatment at Lisie Hospital in Kochi.
The district administration of Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam took this initiative soon after Laly Gopakumar’s death on Friday and her family expressed their desire to donate her organs.
A medical team of Lisie Hospital came to Thiruvananthapuram by road in the morning and the heart was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram airport around 2:45 pm and reached Kochi at 3:45 pm.
The government arranged the helicopter after hospital director Fr. Paul Karedan took up the matter with former MP P. Rajeev. He spoke to the Chief Minister, who directed the State Police Chief to arrange the service.
The helicopter has been taken on rent by the government for police operations for the cost of Rs 1.44 crore per month and the move to hire a chopper has come under criticism by opposition parties earlier.
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