The Indian Air Force achieved a first on Tuesday May 14th 2024 when for the first time, it was able to air drop the country’s first indigenous aero transportable field hospital design.
The new field hospital known as “Project BHISHM” – Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri, has been developped collaboratively by various agencies in order to secure rapid treatment of casualties during a large scale disaster or emergency. Because it has a portable design, it can be air dropped to designated area in order to be stood up and host up to two hundred casualties.
The indigenous nature of the BHISHM project has allowed the concepts to incorporate requirements gathered from years of responding to local emergency situations,”emphasizing rapid response and comprehensive care” according to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Cutting edge technologies such as Artificial Inteligence and Big Data analytics have also been incorporated in order to help better manage cases.
Once airdropped, the field hospital takes up to one hour to be stood up by assembling the 72 mini cubes that compose it. Each mini-cube require approximately 12 minutes to set up.
During tuesday’s test, an Indian Air Force Lockheed C-130J was able to airdrop the portable field hospital from an altitude of 1,000 feet. The cargo which weighs 720 kgs descended smoothly with the help of two parachutes to its landing spot at the Malpura drop zone, in Agra.
The facilities is fitted with ventilators, x-ray machines, blood testing equipments and other medical supplies and amenities so that gunshots, burns, head, spinal cord and chest injuries and fractures as well as severe wounds victims can be rapidly taken in for treatment.