CHANDIGARH, June 10, 2025 -India showcased its latest emergency medical tool, the BHISHM Cube, on Tuesday at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). This portable unit is designed to deliver life-saving care in disaster-hit areas, with HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) serving as the nodal agency for its procurement and deployment.
As a Mini Ratna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), HLL is leading the deployment strategy, which includes demonstration and training of the BHISHM Cubes. The objective is to provide comprehensive expertise to hospital personnel, especially in emergency health. This training is conducted by expert trainers skilled in Disaster Management and possessing hands-on experience in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), ensuring the effective deployment and management of BHISHM Cubes in various disaster settings.
PGIMER is the ninth institution to host the showcase this year. The event was led by Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Tanmoy Roy, now a consultant with HLL’s Defense Pharma division. More than 200 participants, including doctors, paramedical personnel and emergency responders, observed the demonstration and took part in follow-up training. “Every life is important. With the Arogya Maitri Bhishm Cube, we are ensuring that high-quality medical care reaches even the most remote or crisis-stricken areas within the critical golden hour,” said Mr. Tanmay Roy.
Introduced under the Aarogya Maitri initiative — an acronym for Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita, and Maitri — the BHISHM Cube is a compact, self-contained emergency medical unit weighing under 20 kilograms and small enough to be carried by a single individual. The cube is engineered for rapid deployment across air, land, sea or drone-assisted missions.Among its capabilities: the ability to support basic medical care for up to 200 casualties, conduct up to 15 minor surgeries per day, and operate independently of local infrastructure thanks to onboard power generation and oxygen supply systems. Its smart design includes real-time inventory tracking using RFID technology and a multilingual application offering operational instructions in over 18 languages. Field-tested for durability, the unit is resistant to water, corrosion, and extreme weather conditions — features that make it suitable not only for domestic disaster response but also for international humanitarian relief.
Last year, India gifted four BHISHM Cubes to Ukraine as part of its humanitarian assistance to the war-affected nation.
According to officials, more than 1,000 healthcare professionals have been trained under this programme to date. The next demonstration is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu.
At PGIMER, the event concluded with a hands-on training session for emergency staff, reinforcing the Indian government’s strategy to embed the BHISHM Cube into institutional emergency protocols. HLL described the initiative as a step toward not only national readiness but also India’s evolving role in global humanitarian efforts.