To accessibility and availability in remote regions, an experimental trial to utilise drones to provide healthcare services in tribal and rural communities in Seppa, a town in East Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, was initiated on Monday. As a part of this project, Redwing Labs will be providing ‘Made in India’ hybrid Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) drones.
The project is being implemented by IPE Global along with financial and technical support from SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility – an initiative supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to a press statement, the drone network is being set-up up on a limited experimental basis to pilot aerial healthcare deliveries in the State. The parties claims that the network would enable diagnostics and emergency treatments in the local health centers.
Since last year, India has started trials and pilots of drone-based deliveries in healthcare sector. As of now, several states including Telangana, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha and Uttarakhand have done pilots and experimental flights.
These 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 parties claim.
“SAMRIDH is committed to enabling scaling-up of innovative healthcare solutions by improving their access to affordable capital and technical assistance. Our collaboration with Redwing Labs gives us a tremendous opportunity to address supply-chain shortcomings in the healthcare sector to address access and affordability of quality healthcare for vulnerable populations. 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 in a statement.
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Established during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAMRIDH initiative has been playing a key role to support healthcare enterprises and innovators across India in implementing market-based health solutions.
“East Kameng District has a very hilly terrain which makes it difficult to access interior areas, particularly during monsoons. I am sure the drone based drug delivery will be a game changer in strengthening access to healthcare in such remote areas. Hoping that this pilot would give us the answers and clarity for the future,” Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, East Kameng District, stated on Monday.
By enabling care at the local level, the drone network aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for patients, increase immunization rates and improve welfare gains. This experimental network would be accompanied by an impact evaluation study to understand the cost-benefit and health impact of using drones in India’s public health system.
Last year, Arunachal Pradesh partnered with the World Economic Forum’s ‘Medicines From the Sky’ (MFTS) initiative to integrate drones into the intermodal healthcare distribution system particularly in areas that are geographically sensitive and prone to natural hazards that leave rural communities isolated.
