The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is presently conducting a feasibility study in Lahaul & Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh, to explore the transportation of vital medical resources, including medications, diagnostic blood samples, and sputum, via drones.
According to ICMR, drones are playing an increasingly critical role in healthcare, particularly in emergency response scenarios, where they facilitate the swift delivery of vaccines, medications, and other essential supplies to remote and inaccessible areas.
“ICMR’s endeavour aims to streamline the distribution of essential medical provisions from regional hospitals in Keylong to more than eight Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in the region, encompassing locations such as Sissu, Gondhal, Thiort, Tholang, Jahalma, Gemur, Darcha, Shansha, among others. The protocol’s development, execution, and overall coordination have been entrusted to a dedicated team of scientists, hailing from both the ICMR-Headquarters, New Delhi, and the ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre-Gorakhpur, (Field Station Keylong),” the company said in a statement.
During the inaugural flight, the drone successfully transported more than 100 units of essential medications including Antibiotics, Antipyretics, and Multivitamins from the Police grounds in Keylong to the Tholang PHC, which is approximately 20 kilometres away from the district hospital.
The flight took off from 11500 ft ASL (Altitude above mean Sea Level) and went up to 14500 ft ASL and recorded a temperature of -15 degrees Celsius at height. On its return journey, the drone carried TB sputum samples, blood samples, and various diagnostic specimens back to the Keylong Centre for thorough analysis. The round trip, which takes 2 hours by road and is often delayed due to snowfall, took around 26 minutes in total with the drone.
ICMR, which has consistently led the way in delivering vital medical supplies via drones to challenging-to-access regions such as Manipur and Nagaland, will conduct several test flights to different PHCs in the upcoming days, it stated.
“This ‘i-DRONE’ was first used during Covid-19 pandemic by ICMR for distributing vaccines to unreachable areas. Earlier this year, we were able to successfully complete the trials for the delivery of blood and blood-related products, which are supposed to be kept at a low temperature. In the present study, we are aiming to deliver the medications and diagnostic samples at subzero temperature areas and difficult regions with altitudes over 12,000 ft. This is an initiative towards making an impact in the lives of people residing in remote areas,” Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary DHR and Director-General, ICMR said in a statement.
Throughout the comprehensive testing period, scientists have identified numerous technical and operational hurdles that local communities encounter when trying to deliver essential medical items, particularly in remote and challenging geographical landscapes. The study’s findings will provide valuable scientific insights and will lay down the foundation for further exploration of the utility of drones in these areas.
Additionally, the research will determine whether drones can serve as a support for conventional medical supplies in the difficult geographical conditions prevalent in these regions.
The current research project was conducted with the help of state health authorities and Keylong administrative support, ICMR stated. Moreover, district administrative and health authorities Mr Mayank Chaudhary, Dr. Ajay Thakur, and Dr Kunal Rawat supported in execution of this first successful trial. This activity was technically supported by the TSAW drone company for trials in the Lahaul area.
