Meghalaya unveiled the first drone delivery hub and network in Asia and the country on Monday in Jengjal, near Tura in the West Garo Hills.
The project’s goal is to use a dedicated drone delivery network to deliver vital supplies such as drugs, diagnostic samples, vaccines, blood, and blood components to different regions of the state in a timely and safe manner.
The drone service, funded by the World Bank, is a collaboration between the Meghalaya government’s Health Systems Strengthening Project and Techeagle, a drone delivery start-up.
Due to floods and landslides, difficult terrain, and a challenging road network infrastructure, the state’s public health supply chain faces logistical challenges. As a result, ensuring the delivery of healthcare items to difficult-to-reach health centres is extremely difficult.
According to TechEagle, the first official drone flight took off from Jengjal Sub Divisional Hospital, which will serve as the hub, and delivered medicines to Padeldoba Primary Health Centre in less than 30 minutes, which would have taken 2.5 hours by road.
According to Ramkumar S, Additional Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, the drone has a payload capacity of three to five kg. The route is pre-planned, and the entire flight, from take-off to delivery and return to base, is GPS-based, according to him.
According to the company, TechEagle’s drones are capable of vertical takeoff and landing from small areas, enabling both forward and reverse logistics of healthcare products in the network.