New Delhi
In a swift demonstration of its growing role as a first responder in global disasters, India has dispatched two Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft under ‘Operation Amistad’ to deliver critical medical support and relief supplies to northern Venezuela, devastated by twin powerful earthquakes earlier this week.
The mission, whose name translates to ‘Friendship’ in Spanish, departed from Hindon Air Force Station today, carrying a specialised 41-member medical contingent from the Indian Army’s 60 Para Field Hospital. The team, which includes nine medical officers experienced in emergency response, trauma management, and life-saving surgeries, is accompanied by over 35 tonnes of relief materials, medicines, medical equipment, and indigenously developed BHISHM Cube modular field hospitals.
Designed under India’s Aarogya Maitri Project, the BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri) Cubes represent a significant advancement in portable disaster medicine. These compact, rapidly deployable units can be assembled into a fully functional field hospital capable of treating up to 200 patients, complete with operating theatres, intensive care facilities, ventilators, and independent power systems. The initiative underscores India’s push toward self-reliant, high-tech solutions for humanitarian crises.
The earthquakes, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, have claimed at least 235 lives, injured thousands, and left many more missing, overwhelming Venezuela’s medical infrastructure in the affected northern regions. India’s response comes at a critical juncture, providing immediate on-ground capacity for trauma care and stabilisation.
This operation aligns with India’s consistent track record in international disaster relief. In 2023, under Operation Dost, Indian teams including personnel from the same 60 Para Field Hospital deployed swiftly to Turkey following its catastrophic earthquakes, setting up field hospitals and earning widespread appreciation. India also extended COVID-19 assistance to numerous nations and offered aid to Pakistan during past earthquakes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and adjoining areas of Pakistan, though such overtures were not accepted by Pakistan. Reason, everybody in the world knows. Actually, there was an apprehension in Pak’s inner circles that if India is allowed for relief and rescue operations inside their boundaries and even POK, then India will be able to know all in-outs of those areas and will even be able to get first-hand knowledge of the terror modules operating there.
Defence analysts note that the use of C-17 heavy-lift aircraft highlights the IAF’s strategic airlift capabilities, enabling rapid projection of humanitarian power over vast distances. “Operation Amistad not only aids a friendly nation but also showcases the maturity of India’s integrated civil-military disaster response mechanisms,” said a senior defence officer.
As the medical team establishes operations in Venezuela, the mission reinforces New Delhi’s commitment to ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the world as one family, positioning India as a reliable partner in global humanitarian efforts, even amid its own regional security challenges. With the contingent now en route, expectations are high for tangible impact in alleviating suffering in the quake-hit region.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.
