Air ambulance unavailable; 13-year-old girl travelling to Kochi on Vande Bharat Express for emergency heart transplant surgery

KOCHI: A 13-year-old girl from Eroor in Anchal, who was undergoing treatment at Sree Chitra Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, is being taken to Ernakulam for an emergency surgery after her heart condition worsened. Since an air ambulance was not available, she is being transported on the Vande Bharat train.

As the emergency heart transplant surgery is likely to take place in Kochi, arrangements were made with Lisie Hospital. The girl’s parents were informed this morning that a donor heart had become available. They were also told to reach the hospital as quickly as possible. Efforts were made to arrange an air ambulance, but since it was not available, she was taken on the Vande Bharat train instead. It is reported that once the girl reaches the hospital, medical tests will be conducted immediately, followed by the emergency surgery.