Medical drone deliveries for Eswatini
The southern African nation’s first medical drone network has now been launched, allowing deliveries within 45 minutes across the entire country
The network was created through a partnership of The Luke Commission (TLC), a non-profit organization that provides free healthcare in Eswatini; Australian drone firm Swoop Aero; and disaster response organization Red Lightning.
Deliveries are dispatched from TLC’s Miracle Campus facility in the town of Sidvokodvo, and utilize Swoop Aero’s Kite drones, which have a range of 175km and a cruise speed of 122km/h.
The drones can carry payloads of up to 4kg, and will be used to significantly reduce delivery times for medications, vaccines, blood units, and lab samples, particularly in remote or inaccessible communities.
The program will be operated by local pilots and ground crew, and has already trained five Eswatini nationals as pilots. The aim is to ensure program sustainability and local ownership. TLC has also worked closely with the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA) to meet all necessary regulatory requirements.
Nepalese drone service firm Airlift recently announced that it is trialing drone deliveries on the slopes of on Mount Everest, in partnership with drone manufacturer DJI.
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.