Drones can save lives by providing healthcare in rural India: WEF report

As government agencies, businesses and healthcare providers address the urgent need for better access to healthcare in rural India, a new pilot program launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has shown that drones can be used to bring quality healthcare to people living in remote areas. Area of ​​India.

The results of the trial, “Medicine from the Sky, India: How Drones Can Make Primary Health Care Accessible to All” report, provide a realistic approach to providing essential medicines to citizens who lack access to basic healthcare, the WEF said in a statement. Statement

At the event, held in the southern state of Telangana’s Vikarabad district, eight healthcare centers with a population of over 300,000 people took part in a 45-day trial where health workers provided vaccines, samples and medical products using more than 300 COVID-19 test drones.

Interestingly, Vikarabad district was chosen because some of its communities live in the dense forests of the Anantagiri hills. The trial involved 45 days.

The WEF called it the first successful trial of long-range vaccine delivery in Asia, adding that “it shows how drone technology can be extended across India to meet emergency healthcare needs in remote areas.”

Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “With the recent liberalization of drone rules and numerous government incentives for the drone sector, India has set the stage for the development of this innovative technology. To that end, the Medicine from Sky initiative has shown that no one lags behind in access to primary health care to ensure that the country can successfully use state-of-the-art drone technology. We are hopeful that the next steps in this initiative will bring drones into the healthcare system. “

The trial was conducted as part of a larger program, Medicine from the Sky, led by WEF’s ‘Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India’ event, in partnership with the Telangana government, the NITI Commission and Apollo Hospital’s Healthnet Global.

Sangeeta Reddy, Joint Managing Director, said the organization’s goal was to “enable access to world-class quality healthcare services using state-of-the-art technology.”

“We look forward to continuing this project with the World Economic Forum, the Telangana government and other states across the country, which I am sure will usher in a new era in improving the healthcare delivery chain,” he said.

The program aims to work with policy makers, businesses and communities to use drone technology to expand urban-grade healthcare in remote areas of India. Several stakeholders have been consulted, including health workers, the local community, local police, district-level administrators and local air traffic control, the WEF said in a report.