A new prototype of drones to transport human organs was unveiled on Saturday by the state’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian, in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari (who joined virtually).
Why’s it needed? The government has allowed all state-run medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals to harvest organs. They’ll soon begin transplants. MGM Healthcare is part of an initiative to use drones to transport organs needed for transplants.
- The current drones can travel 20 km with the box containing the organs. MGM Healthcare has co-created a new prototype with a city-based drone company.
- They’ll be used to transport organs from the airport to the hospital. It’ll be faster than transporting them by road, which is the preferred method now.
MGM’s credentials: MGM Healthcare has performed over 500 heart and lung transplants in India. It runs the largest adult and paediatric heart transplant program in India. The hospital has performed over 100 paediatric transplants and over 4,600 interventional cases.
(Image credits: Subramanian Ma’s Twitter Post)