R Kharmujai

Shillong, Sep 24: North Eastern Council (NEC), the regional planning body of the eight Northeast states, is planning to deliver life-saving medicines through drones in inaccessible areas of the region.
This was informed by NEC Planning Advisor, Calvin H. Kharshiing while interacting with journalists on the sidelines of a regional consultation meet to promote health sector preparedness in the Northeast states on Tuesday. “We are planning to start a pilot project to deliver life-saving medicines through drones. We are still at the experimental stage and are trying it out first in Shillong,” Kharshiing   said. Disclosing that government has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for this particular project at the initial stage, he said, “I am told that this will be the first time that we are going to deliver medical services through drones.” Noting that other Northeast states have also been equipped with drone technology for the same purpose, Kharshiing added, “Inaccessible population due to connectivity problem, shortage of medical personnel and lack of access to medical supplies are some of the major challenges Northeast is facing in present times.” Although it will be the maiden applicability of drones for medicines, there have been usages of this technology for transportation of equipment like seeds and agricultural products in the region already.
Earlier in his keynote address,  Kharshiing said, “We are living in an age of multiplicity of natural disasters and there are unique challenges in the context of Northeast’s health sector, including shortage of trained manpower, access to sparsely populated remote areas and governance.” Acknowledging the commendable role of the local communities at times of emergencies, he said that they will also be suitably included in the planning and programming processes.
The consultation which is jointly organized by the NEC and  UNICEF in collaboration with Oxfam India aimed at deliberating on a Regional Strategy for Public Health Preparedness for Response in the Northeast. Under this initiative, support will be extended to the NE states to strengthen their plans to prepare and respond to public health risks during disaster-linked emergencies as well as public health emergencies. 

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List