PM Modi presents BHISHM Cubes to Ukraine, President Zelenskyy thanks India for humanitarian aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked PM Modi for the humanitarian assistance, a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The cubes will help in the expeditious treatment of the injured and contribute to saving precious lives.

PM Modi also shared pictures on his X handle and said, "Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri (BHISHM) is a unique effort which will ensure medical facilities in a rapidly deployable manner. It consists of cubes which contain medicines and equipment for medical care. Today, presented BHISHM cubes to President Volodymr Zelenskyy."

Notably, each BHISHM Cube consists of medicines and equipment for the first line of care for all kinds of injuries and medical situations. It also includes surgical equipment for a basic Operation Room that can manage 10-15 basic surgeries per day. The Cube has the capacity to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature in emergency situations such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, etc. It can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts. A team of experts from India has been deployed to provide initial training to the Ukrainian side to operate the Cube. The gesture underscores India's continued commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Under the broad umbrella of Project Aarogya Maitri, Government of India has created the BHISHM initiative, which provides the means to deliver all basic facilities and equipment for providing emergency medical care, in an easy to use and rapidly deployable manner.

This is achieved by packing all the relevant medicines and equipment in cubical boxes (of 15 inches) in a well-organized manner, and arranged according to the types of injuries and medical issues, that could be encountered in a war or natural disaster.

These mini cubes are then positioned on a framework that is adjustable, strong and permits multi-mode transport (by air, sea, land and drone). In fact, the mini cubes can be carried by a person (max weight of 20 kg). Thirty-six of these mini cubes mentioned above form a mother cube and two such mother cubes combine to form a BHISHM Cube.

One mother cube has the medicines and equipment for first-line care of all kinds of injuries and emergency medical situations apart from shelter and food for a crew of five for 48 hours. The other mother cube has surgical equipment and can establish a basic operating room that can manage 10-15 basic surgeries per day.

Due to clear and convenient classification, the medicines and equipment are easy to use. The inventory management uses RFID and is automatically updated. Therefore, exact stock is easily ascertained. The BHISHM app and a digital tablet provide access to the required knowhow including through instructional videos. The tablet currently supports about 180 langauges.

Overall, the BHISM Cube has the ability to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature in emergency situations such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, shock, apart from managing initial triage and classification. It also has the ability to support basic surgeries and can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts/duration. (ANI)