AIIMS Bhubaneswar conducts medical drone trial
The Bhubaneswar All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS Bhubaneswar) has trialed the delivery of medical supplies by drone
The institute, based in the eastern state of Odisha, conducted a successful trial medical logistics drone flight between its main site and the Community Health Centre in the town of Tangi on 23 January.
The flight covered a distance of 120km, and took just over one hour, with no operational issues encountered along the way. The drone was carrying approximately 2kg of essential blood supplies to the clinic.
It follows the success of similar trials done in other states by the institute’s sister organizations, AIIMS Jodhpur and AIIMS Rishikesh, in 2023.
It is hoped that drones could ultimately be used across India to improve medical provision in remote, rural, tribal, and semi-urban locations through the delivery of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic samples.