Medicine drone deliveries trialled in Uttarakhand
The Rishikesh All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS Rishikesh) has trialled the delivery of tuberculosis medicine by drone in the northern state
The university, working in partnership with Gurugram-based drone start-up TechEagle, successfully delivered 2kg of tuberculosis medicines by uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) from its campus to a district hospital in Tehri Garhwal.
Additional technical support was provided by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC).
The trial employed TechEagle’s Vertiplane X3, which took 30 minutes to cover the approximately 40km distance between the two facilities.
The trial is intended to test the long-term feasibility of regular drone-based medicine delivery operations in the region – with a particular focus on tuberculosis medicine.
India accounts for more than one-quarter of all cases of tuberculosis worldwide. Initiatives, such as this one, will support the Indian government’s goal of eliminating the disease within its borders by 2025.
Similar trials were conducted in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in August 2022.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. 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.