Proposal for drones to improve health services in Mandi

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 4

To improve services in remote areas of the district, the Health Department has proposed a pilot drone project for the transportation of test samples and medicines from medical institutions in lower areas to institutions in Mandi town.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Devender Sharma said under the start-up India campaign, the district health authorities had proposed the project to save time and cost of transportation. The drone technology could play a crucial role in providing better health services in remote areas, which remain inaccessible during winters because of heavy snowfall.

“Drone operation trials have been conducted successfully in Janjehli, Barot and a few other remote areas. Today, a drone operation was planned at the Zonal Hospital in Mandi town, but due to a technical snag, we could not go ahead with it,” the CMO said.

“After successful trials, a report will be submitted to the state government for the execution of the project,” he said.

“The National Health Mission (NHM) has given approval for drone trials and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, is the stakeholder in its operation. A joint team is conducting trials in various areas of Mandi district for the past five days,” Dr Sharma added.