Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday (October 4) launched ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in Northeast India (i-Drone).
This is a delivery model to make sure that life-saving vaccines reach everyone.
Launching the initiative, Mandaviya said, “This is for the first time that a ‘Make in India’ drone has been used in South Asia to transport COVID vaccine over an aerial distance of 15 kilometers in 12 to 15 minutes from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the Primary Health Centre (PHC). The actual road distance between these locations is 26 km. Today, 10 beneficiaries will receive the first dose and 8 will receive the second dose at the PHC.”
i-Drone: The game-changer in healthcare!
First #MakeInIndia drone, which has a capacity of 900 vaccine doses, was used for delivery across a distance of 31 km, from Bishnupur to Karang Island in Manipur.
10 people were vaccinated against #COVID19 through this initiative. pic.twitter.com/L5Hso6XY1U
— Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 4, 2021
He further added, “India is a home to geographical diversities and drones can be used to deliver essentials to the last mile. We can use drones in delivering important life-saving medicines, collecting blood samples. This technology can also be used in critical situations. This technology may prove a game changer in addressing the challenges in health care delivery, particularly health supplies in difficult areas.”
He said, the immunization program for COVID-19 have already exceeded all expectations and he believed that this initiative will further help the government to achieve the highest possible immunization coverage for COVID-19.
Mandaviya added that incorporating such drone technologies into the national programs would help deliver other vaccines and medical supplies as quickly as possible.
Despite the effective and safe vaccine administration in the States and Union Territories, the vaccine delivery among tough and hard-to-reach terrains of India is still challenging.
“This i-Drone has been designed to overcome these challenges by deploying Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV)/ drones to remote areas and hard to reach terrains. Currently, the drone based delivery project has been granted permission for implementation in Manipur and Nagaland, as well as union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island,” he said.
Mandaviya also expressed his confidence in the initiative and noted that this initiative can be helpful in delivering not only the vaccines but also other medical supplies.
“This will help in overcoming the gaps in current vaccine delivery mechanisms,” he said.
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