Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS): Chennai-based private hospital MGM Healthcare is exploring ways to use drones for transporting organs for transplantation, said Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The Union Transport Minister was speaking via video conferencing during a function organised to mark over 500 successful heart and lung transplant operations at the MGM Healthcare.

Gadkari said that the construction of highways is reducing the travel time between various cities like Chennai-Bengaluru which will be of help for organ transportation.

Meanwhile, Prashanth Rajagopalan, Director MGM Healthcare said that the hospital is looking at using drones to transport organs from the Chennai Airport to the hospital.

According to him, currently the organs for transplant operations are transported by road from the Chennai Airport by creating a green corridor with the help of the city police.

He said that this put the public at some inconvenience and hence the hospital is looking at drones as alternative for carrying human organs from other cities.

According to Rajagopalan, the hospital has tied up with a city-based drone company while declining to mention the latter's name, citing a non-disclosure agreement with that player.

Hospital officials said transport of human organs for transplant operation is in vogue in some foreign countries. And in India, permission from the government authorities have to be obtained.

They also said the box containing the human organ for transplant will weigh about nine kgs and drones can easily lift them.

Speaking at the function Tamil Nadu's Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian said that the state is the pioneer and the leader in organ transplantation.

Subramanian also said that the state government will take steps to create necessary facilities in all its hospitals to carry out organ transplantation surgery.