For the first time, a ‘Make in India’ drone has been used to transport Covid vaccines over an aerial distance of 15 km, from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake in Manipur, for their administration at the PHC, Union Health Minister Mansukha Mandaviya said on Monday, adding that in a geographically diversified country like India, drones can be used to deliver essentials to the last mile.
In an effort to make healthcare accessible to the last citizen of the country, Mandaviya launched ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone) programme on Monday.
This is a delivery model to make sure that life-saving vaccines reach everyone. The actual distance by road between these locations is 26 km. On Monday, 10 beneficiaries received the first dose while 8 received the second dose at the PHC.
Congratulating the people on this innovative step, Mandaviya said, “We can use drones to deliver life-saving medicines and collect blood samples.
