Arunachal: TechEagle initiates ‘Medicine From the Sky’ operation in state

In a unique initiative, TeachEagle on December 12 said that it has started its operations to enable 'Medicines from the Sky' in the remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh.

The drone operated by Tech Eagle took off from Ziro valley and landed in Chambang under Kra Daadi district it just took only 21 minutes to cover the aerial distance of 31 km, whereas the road distance is close to 180 km which usually takes around 8 hours to cover. 

This is the preliminary launch of an extended exercise that will capture data points, qualitative aspects, and the response to India’s health infrastructure when integrated with drones. 

The drone was flagged off by Alo Libang, Health Minister in the presence of Tage Taki, Minister for Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, Veterinary Animal Husbandry, and Diary Development. 

The event was facilitated by the Department of Health & Family Welfare along with the District Administration, World Economic Forum (WEF), Apollo Hospitals Healthnet Global, the Indian Airforce (Eastern Command), and the ATC Advance Landing Ground Ziro.  

The Medicine from the Sky program is a combined effort by the state government of Arunachal Pradesh and the World Economic Forum.

Further, the program will also explore how drones can provide on-demand medication, diagnostics, and response to emergencies over the period. 

With this over the next few months, drones carrying medicines for emergency uses, vaccines and blood samples will be transported from Ziro to health facilities in Kra Daadi districts to overcome issues such as landslides and natural phenomena that the Himalayan region is often subject to. 

“We would like this to be 6 month plus initiative to ensure that the best operational, regulatory, and engineering aspects are considered while mainstreaming MFTS” stated Dr Ruma Bhargav, India Lead (Healthcare) of World Economic Forum on the occasion.

While speaking on the occasion, Agriculture Minister Taki said, “I strongly believe that the use of drone technology for the delivery of medicines will immensely contribute to healthy Arunachal.”

Libang while expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for liberalizing drone regulatory policy and pushing for the usage of drones for social impact conveyed that the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu will launch drones-Medicine from the sky in other parts of the State based on the outcomes of these tests flights and on need base.

Also read: Arunachal: Police, SDRF rescue woman from 130 feet deep gorge