India’s rapid urbanization has brought with it a critical challenge—severe traffic congestion. With densely packed roads and unrelenting vehicle flow, emergency services often face debilitating delays. In situations like organ transplants, where every minute counts, such delays can cost lives. To counter this, India has developed an innovative mechanism known as the Green Corridor—a specially cleared traffic route that enables the swift and unhindered transportation of harvested organs between hospitals.
The Critical Role of Green Corridors
Green corridors are essential due to several pressing realities of India’s urban and healthcare systems. Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru suffer from persistent traffic gridlock, making it exceedingly difficult for ambulances to reach hospitals quickly. In the context of organ transplantation, this delay is particularly dangerous.
Organs removed from donors have a limited cold ischemic time—the period during which an organ remains viable outside the body. If not transplanted within this timeframe, the organ can lose function, rendering it unusable and resulting in the loss of a precious life-saving opportunity.
India’s large population and high demand for emergency medical care make the timely movement of organs a logistical challenge. The green corridor system mitigates this by facilitating the rapid delivery of organs, improving the chances of successful transplants, and reducing organ wastage.
It’s important to note that while the Green Channel Corridor is fully operational in cities like Bengaluru, its activation across the rest of India is typically limited to organ transplant scenarios. It remains a reactive measure, initiated only when transplant logistics demand it.
A Call for Expansion: Beyond Organ Transplants
Given the success of green corridors, there is a growing call from healthcare professionals and civic stakeholders to expand this concept beyond organ transplants. Emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, poisoning, and severe trauma also require urgent medical attention, where even a few minutes can mean the difference between recovery and irreversible damage—or death.
Advocates are urging the Government of India to consider establishing dedicated emergency lanes on roads across the country—permanently reserved for ambulances and emergency response vehicles. Unlike green corridors that are activated on a case-by-case basis, these lanes would be operational 24/7, 365 days a year, ensuring timely transport for all critical patients, not just organ recipients.
How Green Corridors Work
The implementation of a green corridor involves meticulous coordination between hospitals, traffic authorities, and law enforcement. The process includes:
1. Coordination – Donor and recipient hospitals work closely with local police to chart the most efficient route.
2. Activation – Once organ donation is confirmed, traffic authorities are alerted to initiate the corridor setup.
3. Signal Management – Traffic signals are manually or digitally controlled to ensure uninterrupted passage along the designated route.
4. Escort and Oversight – Police escorts accompany the ambulance, ensuring clear passage and additional safety.
5. Technological Integration – In advanced systems, GPS tracking and real-time communication tools are used to monitor and manage the ambulance’s journey.
This structured system converts congested roadways into rapid transit corridors, compressing travel times significantly and enabling life-saving procedures to proceed without delay.
Proven Impact and Real-World Success
Green corridors have already proven transformative. In cities like Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai, organs such as hearts and kidneys have been transported across distances exceeding 30–40 kilometers in less than 20 minutes—a journey that might normally take over an hour.
These successful cases underscore more than just logistical efficiency. They reflect a powerful collaboration between healthcare systems, civic agencies, and law enforcement—demonstrating what’s possible when all sectors unite for a common cause.
Families of organ recipients often describe the experience as miraculous, where despair gives way to hope, thanks to the swiftness and coordination of the system.
Conclusion: A Roadmap for National Emergency Reform
Green corridors exemplify what coordinated governance, advanced planning, and humane policy can achieve. They are not merely cleared roads—they are lifelines.
Expanding this concept into dedicated emergency lanes for all critical medical situations could revolutionize India’s emergency healthcare landscape. A national system that allows ambulances to bypass traffic through special lanes would dramatically improve survival outcomes for countless patients.
As India continues to modernize, it must invest not only in infrastructure and technology but also in mechanisms that prioritize human life. The green corridor model offers a blueprint—and a powerful reminder—that even amidst the chaos of urban life, clear paths to survival can be created.
Dr Chetan Diliprao Bijwal
MBBS MEM (SEMI) FCCM FACEE
Consultant and Head
Emergency Medical Services
Ashoka Medicover Hospital Indira Nagar Nashik
