UAVs and the turning point of India’s medical industry

Many UAV manufacturers across India are experimenting with using the vehicle to transport medicines, samples or even units of blood.

Earlier this month, a UAV was used to bring blood samples from Meerut city to Noida city (both in Uttar Pradesh state) in a journey of 72 km in under an hour. If traveling by road, this journey usually takes more than 2 hours.

As the company that developed the aforementioned UAV, Skye Air Mobility said it has conducted more than 1,000 similar flights since November 2021 to transport more than 3,500 kg of cargo, from cargo to blood samples.

According to Skye Air Mobility CEO Ankit Kumar, flight data shows that compared to traditional vehicles, the use of UAVs shortens travel time by about 48%.

India used to use UAVs to deliver Covid-19 vaccines. Photo taken in Jammu City – India in November 2021 Photo: PTI

However, expert Rutuja Patil of KEM Hospital Research Center (India) said that in order for UAVs to be used effectively and widely in healthcare, there are still many problems that need to be solved. is the cost because everything is still in the experimental stage.

Ms. Patil last year was in charge of a public health project that used drones to deliver vital medicines to rural communities in Maharashtra state. Another potential challenge, says Patil, is transporting vaccines or medicines that are stored at low temperatures.

However, Mr. Kumar remains optimistic about the future of UAVs as he plans to deploy more than 100 of these vehicles at more than 20 centers by the end of this year to meet different delivery needs.

This optimism is further grounded when the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation recently stated that the UAV service industry could reach more than 3.9 billion USD in revenue and create 10,000 direct jobs in the next 3 years.

In India, according to radio BBC, UAVs have been used to support rescue operations and disaster recovery work. The state of Uttar Pradesh used UAVs to monitor the Kumbh Mela festival. UAVs are also used to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to remote villages in the mountains of northeastern India.