Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Ukraine visit, made a unique gesture by gifting Ukraine four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri) Cubes, in his bid to showcase India's willingness to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
A statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the Prime Minister presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes to Ukraine on Friday, for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked him'.
A post on Modi's X read: 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 @ZelenskyyUa"
The gesture, according to the Indian government, underscored India's continued commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to war-ravaged Ukraine.
But what is a BHISHM cube?
A BHISHM cube is a cutting-edge, portable medical unit designed to deliver essential healthcare services in disaster-stricken areas. This will help in speedy and effective treatment of the injured and thereby save precious lives.
Besides containing medicines and equipment for the first line of care for all kinds of injuries and medical situations, each BHISHM cube also contains equipment to handle over 10-15 surgeries every day. "The Cube can handle about 200 cases of diverse nature in emergencies such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, etc," the statement added,
Each cube is 15 inches wide and weighs 20 kg. The cubes are then positioned on a framework that makes them potable by air, sea, land and drone. Another feature of the cube is that it can generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts and duration.
According to a PIB statement, the cubes integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to facilitate effective coordination, real-time monitoring, and efficient management of medical services in the field.
The BHISHM cubs were made under the umbrella of Project Aarogya Maitri, a programme to provide essential medical supplies to developing countries as humanitarian assistance, the government 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, they noted.