Meghalaya has become the first northeast state in the country to deliver medicines via drone services.
- The medicines were supplied to primary health center in Pedaldoba, Meghalaya.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation on December 6 took to its social media handle to share the major development.
- North East’s first drone delivery for health was launched at Jengjal Sub-Divisional Hospital on December 5, 2022.
- This, however, is not the first time that lifesaving supplies have been made accessible through the use of drones.
i-Drone
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, drones were used to deliver vaccines to remote areas. The drones will deliver medicines to rural health facilities within a 50km radius and will extend efforts towards ensuring last mile medical deliveries.
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of India initiated ways to use drone technology for the delivery of vaccines to remote areas of the country.
- The ICMR-led pilot project was rolled out in Manipur, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The inaugural flight of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone) delivered 900 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Old DC Complex in Bishnupur district in Manipur to Karang Primary Health Centre (PHC), which is on an Island in Loktak Lake.
- These doses were used to vaccinate 25 people at Karang PHC on the first day of the initiative on 4 October 2021.
