Medicines, blood units to be supplied to tribal hospitals through drones in Andhra
Amaravati (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh Health and Medical Department on Thursday entered into an agreement with a private organisation to supply medicines and blood units to hospitals in remote tribal areas through drones.
The Paderu mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju district will be the central hub of this initiative aimed at strengthening emergency medical services in far-flung tribal regions of the district and ensuring timely access to essential medicines and blood supplies.
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"We have signed an agreement with the 'Red Wing' organisation to operate drone-based medical supply services, with Paderu serving as the hub," Health and Medical Department Commissioner G Veerapandian said in an official press release.
He further said that the drone services will cater to Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres within a radius of 60 to 80 kilometres, with drones equipped with cold chain facilities and a payload capacity of about two kilograms.
In addition to transporting medicines and vaccines, the drones will also carry blood, stool and urine samples from health centres to laboratories for testing. According to Veerapandian, the drone services are expected to commence from January.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
