Drone used to deliver medicine to treat sick child in marooned village of Kamareddy

Pitlam (Kamareddy district): When an 18-month-old infant fell sick and began crying inconsolably in Kurti village, none had an inkling as to what to do. They could not seek medical help, as the only road link that connected to outside world was rendered inoperable with water overflowing on it. As torrential rains continued to batter […]

Pitlam (Kamareddy district): When an 18-month-old infant fell sick and began crying inconsolably in Kurti village, none had an inkling as to what to do. They could not seek medical help, as the only road link that connected to outside world was rendered inoperable with water overflowing on it.

As torrential rains continued to batter the entire district, the only hope was the functioning mobile telephone connections. When villagers called for help, police and medical officers were in a quandary. Neither a medical team could reach the village nor the villagers could come out. But some ingenious thinking did help.

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With mobile phones functioning, Vijay the husband of the local MPP member, called for help from Pitlam mandal headquarters. Soon medical officer Dr Sivakumar and the local Sub-Inspector Ranjit, Tahsildar Rammohan huddled to discuss the issue. With the Nizamsagar gates being lifted three days ago, water flow was too high and sending a boat across the overflowing rivulet was ruled out almost instantly.

That was when the officials team thought of using a drone. Dr Sivakumar examined the little patient on a video call, he could diagnose that the infant boy was suffering from stomachache. In the meanwhile Tahsildar Rammohan and Sub-Inspector Ranjit summoned a photo studio owner from Banswada to the place. This photo studio owner had a drone and the officials convinced him to use the drone to get medicine across the rivulet in spate.

Considering the medical emergency, the studio owner too agreed to operate the drone risking damages as it was raining continuously. While the villagers on the other side waited with bated breath, the drone owner managed to safely get the drone onto the other side, some half a kilometer away. There was a collective sigh of relief when the drone with the medicine packet tied to it, landed on the other side.

The village gets marooned whenever Nizamsagar gates are lifted. “Hopefully, this problem will be solved permanently when the high-construction of the high-level bridge is completed,” says Suresh, a vernacular journalist, who works from Pitlam mandal headquarters.

With medicine administered, the child gurgled happily and indeed it was all smiles on other side too with the officials team patting each other for a job well done. Indeed, a job well done!