BVLOS medical deliveries begin in Uruguay
Cielum has launched a project in Uruguay to implement the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation in Latin America
The company will operate a pilot scheme for four months using RigiTech’s Eiger drone, offering deliveries of medical supplies and products – such as breast milk, blood samples, and medicine – within a 100km radius of Tacuarembó Hospital.
The resulting drone network will initially serve three rural clinics in Villa Ansina, Villa Curtina, and Villa Tambores, but will later be expanded to serve a total of 10 clinics.
The initiative is being implemented in coordination with Franco Simini, an engineer from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the Republic (UDELAR).
In a statement published on 12 July, RigiTech confirmed that the first BVLOS operations took place ‘last week’, following the receipt of authorizations from the National Directorate of Civil Aviation and Aeronautical Infrastructure (DINACIA).
As part of the initiative, the hospital has constructed the first vertical port in Uruguay, equipped with RigiTech’s Precision Landing Pads, adequate lighting for nighttime operations, and a hangar. The network is also ‘monitored remotely’ via RigiTech’s RigiCloud platform.
Dr Ciro Ferreira, Director of Tacuarembó Hospital, said: “This air logistics strategy will allow us to … shorten the time in the diagnosis and treatment of people who live in rural areas, without the need to come to the hospital. The delivery of samples for examinations and their processing in the central laboratory can be done quickly, and will serve rural doctors for adequate decision-making in a timely manner, as well as a greater collection of pasteurized human milk for our newborns. It will also be possible to deliver medical supplies or specific medicines to the polyclinics, in specific situations that do not admit delays, such as the shipment of anti-venom serum.”
Drones are becoming increasingly popular as a method of delivering medical supplies to rural areas. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released a guideline document covering the use of logistical drones in the sector in June of last year.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.