Hitesh Kachariya, a 40-year-old textile worker from Surat, became the source of life for multiple individuals across India after being declared brain dead due to a brain haemorrhage on December 16 at Surat’s INS Hospital. In a display of immense generosity, his family decided to donate his organs, leading to successful transplants in five cities.
Hitesh, the second of four brothers, was a husband and father to three children. His younger brother Dipak recounted the difficult decision.
“They told us that if we consented to organ donation, it could take upwards of 36 hours before they could hand over the body for last rites,” Dipak said. After consulting with their father Nathubhai, Hitesh’s wife Jitnagauri, and eldest daughter Khushi, a first-year Zoology student at MSU University in Vadodara, the family agreed to donate his organs.
“Our father especially was very keen to ensure that his organs were donated. After discussing it with our sister-in-law and Hiteshbhai’s eldest daughter Khushi, we ultimately decided that saving the lives of several other people outweighed the delay in the last rites,” Dipak added.
On December 17, Hitesh’s heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and corneas were surgically removed. The heart was transplanted into a 47-year-old man at Marengo CIMS Hospital, Ahmedabad; the lungs went to a 60-year-old patient at Medanta-The Medicity Hospital, Gurgaon; kidneys were transplanted into two patients at Shalby and Sterling hospitals in Ahmedabad; the liver was given to a 37-year-old Mumbai resident at Surat’s Kiran Hospital; and the corneas were donated to two individuals in Gujarat’s Navsari district.
The process involved meticulous planning and coordination, requiring multiple agencies to set up green corridors—traffic-free routes for rapid transport of organs. These corridors allowed the organs to reach recipients within the critical Cold Ischemia Time (CIT) limits, which are 4–6 hours for hearts and lungs, 12 hours for livers, and up to 24 hours for kidneys.
Dipak explained the family’s first steps after the decision was made. “We contacted Nitesh Mandlewala, head of Surat-based NGO Donate Life, who explained the procedure and how green corridors are set up.” The Gujarat State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) was informed, and the process to match recipients on the waiting list began.
Hitesh’s lungs initially found no recipients in Gujarat or the western region of India, delaying the process. The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) eventually identified a recipient at Medanta in Gurgaon. Despite the setback, organ retrieval began at 5:19 pm, starting with the heart, followed by the lungs, kidneys, liver, and corneas.
Transporting the organs required precise logistical planning. Due to the 285 km distance between Surat and Ahmedabad, doctors decided to transport the heart by air ambulance. “If the heart is more than 200 km away, then we require an air ambulance because we simply cannot transport and transplant a heart within the four-hour time limit by road,” said Dr Dhaval Naik, a cardiovascular surgeon at Marengo CIMS Hospital.
The air ambulance, a Beechcraft 200 assigned as a medical aircraft in March 2022, was used to ferry Hitesh’s lungs to Gurgaon and the heart to Ahmedabad. “The Surat City Police were initially told that a green corridor would be needed at 6 pm, but delays shifted the time to 5:30 pm. Eventually, the original timing of 6 pm was followed,” said a source involved in the process.
The heart reached Surat airport at 6:15 pm, and a direct air route to Ahmedabad reduced the usual flight duration. From Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), Ahmedabad Police facilitated another green corridor, ensuring the heart arrived at Marengo CIMS Hospital within 20 minutes.
At the hospital, the transplant team began work immediately, with blood circulation restored to the recipient’s body by 10:13 pm.
“Since the recipient was in a fragile condition, having already undergone two heart surgeries, it took approximately 2.5 hours to stabilise them, transplant the organ, and restart blood circulation,” Dr Naik explained.
Success Amid Challenges
Despite the operation’s success, logistical challenges remain. A doctor familiar with the process noted, “While corridors for VIPs ensure all traffic signals are cleared, organ transport still depends on whether others driving on the road give way to the vehicles.”
This operation marked Gujarat’s 128th green corridor since the first in December 2015.
Narmada SP Prashant Sumbe, who revised the police’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in 2020, said, “We have mapped routes from major hospitals to airports or highways, taking into account critical points and commuter traffic.”
Hitesh’s story not only highlights the life-saving potential of organ donation but also underscores the importance of seamless coordination in these critical moments.
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