Hyderabad: It was a race against time, with hope pitched against uncertainty. A premature baby, weighing barely 1.1 kg and struggling to breathe, was strapped to a ventilator inside an ambulance in Surat, Gujarat. Ahead lay a 1,300 km road journey to Hyderabad—the longest neonatal transfer ever attempted anywhere in the world. Fourteen hours, two ambulances, and dozens of oxygen cylinders later, the baby reached KIMS Cuddles Hospital, Secunderabad, alive. Today, two months later, he is thriving as a living symbol of medical grit and parental faith.

Born in the seventh month of pregnancy, the baby was diagnosed with severe sepsis, respiratory distress, and multi-organ failure soon after birth. With his condition worsening in Surat, the family turned to KIMS Cuddles for advanced care. An air ambulance was the safest option, but cost barriers forced a different choice—a road transfer that experts warned was nearly impossible.

Taking charge of the mission, Babu S Madarkar, Clinical Director and Chief Neonatologist, assembled a 31-member team of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and technical staff. “Every kilometre felt like a challenge,” Madarkar recalled. “The baby had repeated breathing arrests, his heart rate dropped multiple times, and we had to stabilise him again and again inside the moving ambulance.” The convoy included two vehicles: one for the baby and another to carry oxygen supplies. Refuelling stops were turned into medical pit stops, with replenishments arranged in cities like Nashik.

On arrival in Hyderabad, the newborn was immediately admitted to intensive care. Over the next two months, he was treated for multiple organ complications. Slowly, with ventilator support, antibiotics, and round-the-clock monitoring, he recovered. Today, weighing 1.9 kg, he breathes on his own, feeds on his mother’s milk, and plays in his parents’ arms. Medical records show the previous longest neonatal road transfers were 723 km globally and 513 km in India. At 1,300 km, this journey has set a new world record.