Andhra Pradesh to deploy Drones for medical deliveries to tribal hospitals

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government will deploy drones to transport medicines, vaccines, and blood units to hospitals in remote tribal areas, in a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare services.

The Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department has signed an agreement with Red Wing to operate drone-based medical deliveries, with Paderu in Alluri Sitharama Raju district serving as the central hub. The agreement was formalized between Commissioner (Medical and Health) G Veerapandian and Redwing representative Kundan Madireddy. Services are expected to commence by the end of next month.

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According to Deccan Chronicle, under the arrangement, drones will supply medicines and blood units to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) within a 60–80 km radius of Paderu. Each drone will carry up to two kilograms and will be equipped with cold-chain facilities to ensure safe transport.

The drones will also transport blood, stool, and urine samples from health centres to laboratories for diagnostic testing, reducing delays in obtaining critical reports and improving healthcare access for remote communities. Each drone can carry up to 2 kg of payload.

As a measure to save time during medical emergencies, the State government is also planning to use drones for the transport of medicines from King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam to Paderu, reports the TNIE.

Redwing, which already provides similar logistics services in Arunachal Pradesh, will operate in Andhra Pradesh free of cost for 6–7 months under a Proof of Concept phase. The initiative is designed to test the efficiency and feasibility of using drone technology for medical logistics in the state’s remote regions.

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