'AFMS looking at drone use to supply blood bags, medicines in hilly areas'

The Armed Forces Medical Services is exploring the use of drone technology to deliver blood bags, medicines and other medical supplies in hilly and hard-to-reach areas, Director General of AFMS, Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, has said.

She also said the AFMS was responsible for the health requirements of all four astronauts currently part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station.

Vice Admiral Sarin was speaking on Saturday on the sidelines of a commissioning ceremony for five medical cadets at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune.

She said the AFMS is integrating modern technologies like telemedicine, Artificial Intelligence (AI), point-of-care devices, and drones to strengthen healthcare delivery. 

We are looking at using drone technology for the supply of blood bags, medicines, and other medical equipment. In fact, we are hoping for a day when even medical evacuations can be carried out using drones, she said.

The technology is currently being considered for a pilot project in remote and hilly terrains where access is challenging, she added.

Such technology is already in use by non-military agencies, she said.

AFMC Commandant Lt Gen Pankaj Rao said technological advancements are being adopted across the medical field, from prevention to treatment.

Commenting on astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is part of the commercial Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, Vice Admiral Sarin said the AFMS is responsible for the health needs of all four astronauts in the mission.

The Institute of Aviation Medicine is providing primary healthcare in the US, and a Group Captain has been deployed in Houston, Texas, to look after the crew's health, she said.

The AFMC in a release said of the five medical cadets commissioned, one has been inducted into the Indian Air Force and four into the Indian Army.

The release said the AFMC's commitment to facilitating UG and PG research, innovation and training is further reflected in its sustained collaborative efforts with other national and international institutions of repute.

This synergy has created an ecosystem conducive to revolutionary medical breakthroughs, making this college a centre of excellence in multi-dimensional medical education, it stated.

The medical institute has taken a pioneering leap in genetic diagnostics and therapy with its state-of-the-art Genome Sequencing Laboratory, equipped with cutting-edge Next-Generation Sequencing platforms, the release said.

The lab is designed to support advanced research in inherited diseases, oncology, transplant medicine, and reproductive health, enabling precise diagnosis of rare genetic disorders and molecular profiling of malignancies, it said.

The college's Department of Medical Research and its Multi-disciplinary Research Unit have been instrumental in launching over a dozen molecular research projects, the release said.

Other than research, the AFMC has made medical simulation, replicating real-life scenarios, an essential part of its training curriculum, it added.