Drone-based healthcare service pilot project launched in Arunachal

An experimental trial to use drones for enhancing the healthcare services for tribal and rural communities in Arunachal Pradesh was launched today.

The Redwing Labs, a leading startup, would provide ‘Made in India’ hybrid Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) drones and run end-to-end operations for the project in Seppa, a town in East Kameng district of Arunachal.

The healthcare drone pilot project in East Kameng is USAID- supported SAMRIDH initiative, which is an outcome of Arunachal Pradesh’s partnership with the World Economic Forum’s ‘Medicines From the Sky’ (MFTS) initiative.

“The East Kameng district has a very hilly terrain, which makes it difficult to access interior areas, particularly during monsoon. I am sure the drone-based drug delivery will be a game-changer in strengthening access to healthcare in such remote areas. Hope that this pilot would give us the answers and clarity for the future,” Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of East Kameng District, said.

Also read: ICMR releases guidelines for drone usage in healthcare, to pilot blood bag delivery

Vignesh Santhanam, lead for Aerospace and Drones at the World Economic Forum, said the organisation undertook a field study in Arunachal Pradesh to learn more about the local health distribution system, disease profile and nature of the terrain in mid-2021.

“Traversing the Seppa - Bameng belt by road in particular made it evident that drones were an absolute necessity. Through our learnings in Telangana, we are looking to stress test our systems in Arunachal Pradesh under the liberalized drone regime while factoring in economic principles right from the point of initiation,” he added.

According to the officials, a drone network is being set-up up in the state on a limited experimental basis to pilot aerial healthcare deliveries. The network would enable diagnostics and emergency treatments in the local health centers of Arunachal Pradesh.

“We are hopeful that this trial will give quantifiable data points on cost & supply chain behavior for drones in public healthcare to kickstart mass adoption. We are pleased and deeply grateful to USAID-Supported SAMRIDH initiative and WEF for their support in this project,” Anshul Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder, Redwing Labs, said.

India started trials and pilots of drone-based deliveries in healthcare in 2021. Multiple states, including Telangana, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha and Uttarakhand, have done pilots and experimental flights.

“We will also be providing impact evaluation assistance that could be useful to develop the drone policy for future drone-based healthcare delivery projects,” Himanshu Sikka, Project Director, SAMRIDH and Chief Strategy and Diversification Officer, IPE Global, said.

By delivering medical supplies up to eight times faster than road-based logistics, the drone network would serve the population of East Kameng by offering a better quality of care in the interior blocks.

In India, drones have carried multiple health products including vaccines, essential drugs and diagnostic samples. Aerial supply chains have immense potential to solve last-mile healthcare challenges and advance SDG-3 in rural, tribal, and semi-urban locations.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has come out with a guidance document for using drones for medical supplies in far-flung areas.

Underlining the importance of human resources during drone operations in the field, the document calls for the identification of healthcare workers at the district hospitals and distribution centres as a critical part of drone-based delivery planning.