AIIMS Bhubaneswar starts trial run of drone delivery of health services

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Odisha, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar on Tuesday successfully conducted a trial of delivery of health services through drone.

A blood unit from AIIMS Bhubaneswar was delivered at a hospital in Tangi as part of the trial run. The drone used weighs 12 kilograms and can carry a load of medicines, blood units and other essential medical kits ranging from 2 to 5 kg.

As Odisha is prone to natural disasters, the use of drones to transport medical equipment in remote and cut-off areas post-cyclone and floods will be very useful.

Senior officials of the hospital informed that the drone delivered the blood unit at Tangi from AIIMS Bhubaneswar in 37 minutes. The drone can travel at a speed of 90 km/hour. The drone was tracked and operated using GPS. Necessary permission from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Bhubaneswar was obtained for the trial run of the drone today.

“AIIMS Bhubaneswar for the first time conducted delivery of health services via drone. We are experimenting and examining what services can be delivered using the technology. As per the Health Ministry’s directive, such an initiative is being carried out.” said AIIMS Bhubaneswar Director, Ashutosh Biswas.

Biswas further informed that drones can be useful in providing better services in emergencies and for disaster management during cyclones and floods where there are road connectivity issues.

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