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Mint
09-07-2025
- Health
- Mint
Tested in Pak conflict, health ministry to buy 50 cube hospitals
New Delhi: The health ministry plans to buy 50 portable hospitals from state-run HLL Lifecare Ltd, according to a senior government official and documents reviewed by Mint, after deploying two of them during the recent conflict with Pakistan. These so-called advanced trauma care units, known as Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri (BHISHM) cubes, are part of the Centre's plan to significantly enhance India's disaster response capabilities. At BHISHM cube's core are several compact, portable "mini cubes" filled with essential medicines and equipment, designed for rapid deployment in various emergencies. Each of these indigenously developed mobile hospitals can treat up to 200 people per day, and will be strategically deployed at 22 Central government institutes and hospitals, including at all All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Each 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. The effectiveness of these mobile hospitals was recently demonstrated during the India-Pakistan conflict, when two BHISHM cubes were successfully used in Kashmir to treat the injured. These lightweight flat-packed mobile units, which look like tents, can be quickly flown to an affected area and assembled in less than an hour. 'There's a plan to procure at least 50 BHISHM cubes which are to be stationed in all the AIIMS for use in case of disaster or calamity," said an official aware of the matter requesting anonymity. The matter was discussed during the 9th Mission Steering Group (MSG) meeting of the National Health Mission (NHM), held recently and chaired by health minister J.P. Nadda, reflecting a strategic shift towards more agile and efficient healthcare delivery during disasters and public health emergencies. According to the documents reviewed by Mint, BHISHM cubes are set to replace the previously approved Container-Based Mobile Hospitals (CGMH) under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). CBMHs, large in size and not easy to move around quickly, were approved in 2021 at a total estimated cost of ₹212.92 crore. On the other hand, BHISHM Cubes are small, modular and easy-to-move mobile hospitals that can be set up quickly. They use rapid frequency identification or RFID, which helps identify and track things using radio waves. 'This change means that India will have a better and faster way to provide emergency medical help wherever it's needed," the official added. BHISHM Cubes, indigenously developed under the aegis of the National Security Council Secretariat as part of the Aarogya Maitri initiative, are designed to treat up to 200 casualties per day directly at the site of an incident. 'The new proposal will utilize approximately ₹133.1 crore from the approved capital budget of PM-ABHIM for the procurement of the 50 BHISHM Cubes," the documents stated. The official said that during the meeting, Nadda emphasized the need for a strong system in place to check the quality of the Cubes, especially as so many of them are being ordered. The minister has directed HLL Lifecare Ltd to make sure they meet all the required quality standards. A high-level committee was suggested to ensure quality standards for the mobile hospitals. 'This initiative is set to greatly improve India's ability to deliver immediate, life-saving emergency care. This is especially important for making the most of available resources and ensuring these units can be quickly sent to different locations. The BHISHM Cubes are planned for deployment at 22 specific central government hospitals and institutions," the official said. Dr Alexander Thomas, founder and patron, Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) and other such organizations, said rapid deployment systems like these are crucial for disaster preparedness and emergency response. 'However, infrastructure alone is not enough. Having an emergency care setup is a good idea, but it must be matched with well-trained personnel—intensivists, nurses, and paramedics—who can effectively manage mass casualty situations. Even in our premier institutions like AIIMS, many posts remain vacant. The success of this initiative will depend not just on technology, but on ensuring adequate manpower, training, and maintenance," Dr Thomas said. Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, public health expert and former president at Indian Medical Association (IMA) Cochin chapter, said the shift towards rapidly deployable cube-based mobile hospitals is in line with global trends. 'The earlier container-based systems were expensive and cumbersome. Whether it is a natural disaster, epidemic or war, human health requires immediate attention. Such events often occur in inaccessible areas without state of the art healthcare facilities, and hence the need for these mobile hospitals. They need to be staffed by trained personnel, and designating a reserve pool of trained doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and logistics experts in advance will ensure they are immediately available on site at the newly assembled facilities. They may be linked to a parent tertiary hospital," Dr Jayadevan said. Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson on Tuesday remained unanswered at press time.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Temporary solution to supply crisis at SCTIMST
The crisis that evolved at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) following supply shortage of cath lab materials used for interventional radiology procedures seems to have had a temporary resolution, with the institute reaching an interim agreement with HLL Lifecare Ltd. for the procurement and supply of materials. At a meeting called by the Director of SCTIMST with HLL Lifecare Ltd. here on Monday, it was decided that the latter would procure and supply the high-end cath lab materials required by the institute through its AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) retail pharmacy network, so that the immediate crisis at SCTIMST, which had resulted in a total halt to all neuro interventional procedures, can be resolved. Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Tourism Suresh Gopi was also present at the meeting, along with senior faculty members of the institute. The supply shortage of cath lab materials had reached a situation wherein the doctors at the Imaging Sciences and Interventional Radiology department had informed the director that from Monday, they would not be performing any interventional procedures till a regular and uninterrupted supply of materials could be ensured. Without an MoU 'It would require a lot of paperwork and legal vetting before we can enter into a formal MoU with HLL Lifecare Ltd. so that steady procurement through the AMRIT pharmacy network is possible. However, in view of the current crisis, HLL Lifecare has agreed to ensure uninterrupted supply of cath lab materials for us even without the MoU. We hope to resume interventional procedures at the hospitalmaybe within a week,' a senior administrative official at SCTIMST told The Hindu. 'For the past two years, the institute has been trying to shift to a new procurement system and this involved a lot of process delays. In 2023, we renewed the rate contract with 24 medical device companies who had been our suppliers for the past several years. The current crisis resulted when four companies, who had the monopoly over the specific materials, refused to go with the 2023 prices and in effect, pulled the rug from under our feet,' he added. Mostly imported materials He added that the Institute now has the option of procurement through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal as well as AMRIT, which is also a fair price initiative under the Health ministry. However, there have been many quality concern issues and technical rejections due to non-conformance to specifications under the GeM. Most of the materials used by the interventional radiology department are imported, many of which do not have Indian substitutes. While the meeting was on, a group of Youth Congress activists had barged into the SCTIMST, protesting against the disruption in patient care. A minor scuffle ensued, but the protesters were pacified by the director. In a statement here, CPI(M) district secretary V. Joy, MLA, claimed that the Union government was systematically trying to undermine the functioning of the SCTIMST.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Govt to expand menstrual cup distribution project in Kerala
Kochi: After the successful implementation of the project promoting the usage of menstrual cups in selected areas in the state, the govt is now stepping up efforts to increase the acceptance rate of menstrual cups among underprivileged women. As part of its efforts, HLL Lifecare Ltd, a public sector enterprise under the ministry of health and family welfare, will distribute three lakh menstrual cups under its Thinkal project in Kerala during the financial year 2025-26. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the state govt and various public sector companies. Under the Thinkal project, menstrual cups are distributed free of cost to underprivileged women. Earlier, HLL distributed menstrual cups in various locations in the state as part of the promotion project. Now, with the distribution of three lakh more menstrual cups, authorities aim to promote the usage of the cups among people in rural areas by distributing them in all local bodies. Dr Krishna S H, manager of public health projects at HLL's subsidiary, HLL Management Academy, said HLL's earlier efforts created two napkin-free villages in Kerala - Kumbalangi panchayat in Ernakulam and Kallikkad panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram. "Kumbalangi panchayat was declared napkin-free by then governor Arif Mohammad Khan in 2022 and Kallikkad panchayat was declared napkin-free by Shashi Tharoor in 2024. Around 5,000 menstrual cups each were distributed," Dr Krishna said. The Thinkal project was first implemented in Alappuzha municipality during the 2018 floods. Though HLL provided an incinerator to the municipality for disposing of sanitary pads during the floods, the method did not offer a complete solution to sanitary pad waste. Later, HLL implemented the Thinkal project and distributed around 5,000 menstrual cups in the municipality. HLL also trained the beneficiaries on how to use menstrual cups and conducted awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene. A similar method will be adopted during the fresh initiative. "When the project was implemented in Alappuzha municipality without awareness classes, the acceptance rate was at 20%. However, when the project was implemented with awareness classes led by medical experts, the acceptance rate rose to 91.5%. We now have a set of standard procedures for implementing the Thinkal project, which ensures a high acceptance rate for menstrual cups," Dr Krishna said.
