To improve the medical supply chain in remote areas having tough terrain and no road connectivity, a trial of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) was started on Friday in Gauribidanur district near Bengaluru in Karnataka to provide medicines to patients via drones. If the 45-day pilot study from June 21 yields results, then like America and China and other advanced countries, Karnataka will also supply emergency medicines via drones.
A similar pilot project is being launched in Telangana on June-21-22. The purpose of these drones is to achieve faster vaccine delivery straight to citizens' doorsteps and improve healthcare access.
The consortium of firms led by Bengaluru’s Throttle Aerospace System (TAS) had got Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approval for object delivery experiments as early as March 2020.
As per the blue print of the pilot project, a patient and his family has to raise the request on software developed by TAS. After examining the claims, the medicines will be loaded into the drones by the hospital. 4G technology is used in operating the drone. This drone can fly and manage to avoid trees, buildings and towers. It can also withstand gusty winds and reach the desired location.
The drones, named MedCopter, come in two variants for medical purposes. A 1kg weight MedCopter can fly up to 15kms to deliver medicines whereas a 2kg weight drone will cover 12kms at 40km speed. As per Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules, 100 hours of accident-free delivery should be recorded for go ahead, and for that purpose, every day, the drone will fly for 6 to 7 hours. The TAS is planning to cover 125 hours and submit the report for review.
During the pilot study, the authorities will examine what kind of medicines can be sent, the challenges and the feasibility of the system.
According to officials, drones will cost only Rs 500-600 to deliver vaccines or goods at a distance of 30 km in just 20-30 minutes. In India, a number of places have no road connectivity. During monsoon, bikes or cycles are being used to deliver medicines or vaccines in remote areas. With the use of drones, medical aids could be provided much faster
In Telangana, E-commerce major Flipkart has partnered with the government to lead a consortium tasked with the development and execution of the drone deliveries of medical supplies to remote areas under the 'Medicines from the Sky' project. As part of the consortium, Walmart-owned Flipkart will deploy drones and enable deliveries of vaccines and medical supplies.
Across the world, drones have been delivering medical goods for several years now, with charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) testing them during a tuberculosis outbreak in Papua New Guinea in 2014, and to help tackle Ebola in Liberia. Five years ago, in 2016, a nationwide drone delivery programme for medical supplies was launched in Rwanda. In March 2021, the world’s first drone delivery of Covid-19 vaccines took place in Ghana. During the coronavirus pandemic, Zipline drones have also been dropping off AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana, and will soon start delivering them in Rwanda and the United States, with Nigeria also planned for later this year.