The head of the department’s air operations, Roslan Aziz, said the flight was carried out after the HKL national transplant resource centre was notified that the heart was available for transplant by the family of a patient at Melaka Hospital, who was confirmed to be brain-dead.

“The Emars team was mobilised and a helicopter left the Subang air base at 7.15am for Melaka. We arrived at HKL with the donor’s heart at 8.35am,” Roslan said in a statement.

Joining the Emars team on the flight from Melaka were three medical officers led by cardiothoracic and vascular specialist Dr Ezani Taib from Melaka Hospital.

According to Roslan, transporting donor organs is a critical operation that requires careful and organised planning in addition to having to comply with the time set by the medical team.

“This is to ensure that the donor’s organ can be used by the recipient as soon as it arrives at the hospital, as any delay or mistake can affect the organ and even put the recipient at risk during the transplant surgery,” he said.

Transporting donors’ organs is one of the medical support services provided by the fire and rescue department in collaboration with the health ministry, in addition to patient transfer and other medical logistical assistance.