Shillong, Sep 24: NEIGRIHMS has been observing Swachhata Hi Sewa 2026 and Patient Safety Week 2026 with a series of awareness programmes, community involvement, etc since September 17.
As part of the ongoing fortnight-long Swachhata campaign, NEIGRIHMS has already conducted the ‘Swachh PaathShala – Yuva for Swachhata’ programme for students of Leads Higher Secondary School, Nongmensong. NEIGRIHMS staff, along with school students, participated in a cleanliness drive at the school, followed by a poster competition aimed at promoting awareness and advocacy for cleanliness and hygiene among young people.
As part of other Swachhata initiatives, NEIGRIHMS has also organised ‘Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’ and a ‘Jan Bhagidari Advocacy Drive’, encouraging participation of staff and members of the public in various cleanliness initiatives. Recognising the importance of the health and well-being of sanitation workers, NEIGRIHMS also organised a free health camp for sanitation staff and their dependents under the ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivir’ initiative. The fortnight-long campaign will conclude on October 2 with the celebration of ‘Swachh Bharat Diwas’, along with a tree plantation drive at NEIGRIHMS, the institute said in a release today.
Patient Safety Week 2026 was inaugurated with a series of lectures organised by the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) cell of NEIGRIHMS, focusing on various aspects of patient safety. The lecture series covered important areas including medication safety, incident reporting, and patient and family engagement in patient safety, with the objective of strengthening a culture of safety and promoting a safe healthcare environment for patients and healthcare workers.
Furthering the patient safety and emergency preparedness vision, NEIGRIHMS organised ‘BHISHM REACT 2026’, a dedicated awareness and CME programme yesterday. The programme focused on awareness and hands-on training in the emergency deployment of BHISHM Cubes, along with a disaster management workshop.
BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita & Maitri) Cube, also known as the Aarogya Maitri Cube, is the world’s first indigenous, portable hospital system designed for rapid deployment during disasters and emergencies. It is an ultra-portable and self-sufficient emergency medical facility with basic surgical stations, defibrillators, portable ultrasound and tents. The system is designed to support the management of mass-casualty situations, including major trauma, surgical care and intensive care, and can treat up to 200 casualties, focusing on the critical “golden hour” after a disaster.
Speaking on the occasion, NEIGRIHMS Director Dr Nalin Mehta said that the availability of the BHISHM Cube at NEIGRIHMS represents a significant advancement in strengthening disaster and mass-casualty preparedness in the region. He further emphasised that training doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel through such programs would enhance their technical capabilities, confidence and preparedness to respond effectively to emergency situations in the future.
The CME witnessed participation from doctors from the Indian Army and the state government, along with healthcare professionals from NEIGRIHMS. More than 150 participants attended the programme. As a symbolic reaffirmation of the commitment towards cleanliness, patient safety and emergency preparedness, participants took the Swachhata and Patient Safety Pledge during the event.
