Kinkini Gupta
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Written By: Kinkini Gupta | Updated : June 3, 2022 10:51 AM IST
ICMR Says Drones Are The Fastest Means To Transport COVID Healthcare Equipments.
A new strategy has been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently as a method to boost the healthcare system during the pandemic. Utilization of drones! The strategy is to use them to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in regions that have major geographical hindrances such as the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland. These states are not only isolated from mainland India but also have difficult terrain, mountains and forests which cannot be easily covered by road or rail networks. Drone system seems to be the fastest way to ensure healthcare in those regions.
According to the guidance document shared by ICMR, the equipment's required for the treatment of COVID-19 can only be transported via drones. The equipment's include capsules, tablets, gloves, syrups in bottle's, blood bags, syringes, urine, blood, biological tissues, sputum, frozen specimens or saliva. Especially during an emergency, drones are the fastest means.
Professor Dr Balram Bhargava, the Director General of ICMR said in the foreword of the document that as a nation with 1.3 billion, India has faced several challenges in upgrading its healthcare system due to its size and landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic was another addition to this challenge. But it is time that the government takes this opportunity to revisit some of the issues and correct them. With the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, ICMR envisaged the delivery of these vaccines to hard-to-reach-terrains in India. This guidance document will assist in understanding different nuances involved in planning and execution of drone-based delivery of medical supplies.
The scientists from ICMR collaborated with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airport Authority of India (AAI) to produce this document in compliance with the New Drone Rules-2021 which highlights the ways of selecting drones, choosing takeoffs and landing sites etc.:
