Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, presented the first drone prototype for the delivery of human organs in India on Saturday. With the use of drones to move the harvested organs, this prototype seeks to revolutionise last-mile organ transportation and speed up organ transplants in hospitals.
Gadkari, while unveiling the prototype virtually from New Delhi, said, “Understanding the importance of speed and seamless transport of organs, we will soon need innovation in the logistics of transportation of organs. And one such welcome suggestion is the use of drones.”
The minister went on to say that improved ground and air links might ease the logistical problem of organ delivery. He declared that his ministry has already started taking steps to upgrade the infrastructure, including the Bharatmala Pariyojana, which will be very helpful for transporting organs throughout India.
The minister also claimed that the Centre, under the leadership of PM Modi, understood the importance of creating infrastructure not only for promoting business and trade but also in terms of saving lives and improving healthcare.
“This is a very innovative approach to solve the problem of transportation and I appreciate MGM Healthcare in being part of the research and development,” Gadkari said.
Prashanth Rajagopalan, director, MGM Healthcare, which has co-created the prototype drone technology, said, “At present, drones can be used to move the box containing the organs up to a distance of 20 km.” MGM Healthcare has entered into a tie-up with a city-based drone company for shifting the organs, Rajagopalan added.
Rajagopalan added that the hospital is dedicated to making India a worldwide medical powerhouse by investing in the newest technologies and top clinical personnel for better clinical results. This is in light of the hospital’s extraordinary achievement of doing more than 500 transplants.
Heart failure is a condition that is underappreciated, according to Ravikumar R, associate clinical lead, Cardiology & Heart Failure Program, MGM Healthcare. Advanced treatments like heart transplants and the Left Ventricular Assist Device can extend the life expectancy and enhance the quality of life of people with end-stage heart failure who are not responding to conventional therapy.
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