New Delhi, February 16
Gurugram-based drone start-up TechEagle on Thursday delivered 3 kg of tuberculosis medicines with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – drones - from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh to the district hospital in Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
According to Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, the drone, Vertiplane X3, covered a distance of nearly 40-km and reached an elevation of 2 km in 30 minutes to reach Baurari district hospital.
Typically, the time taken to cover a similar distance by road, in the hilly terrain, takes around 2-3 hours.
“Successful drone-based trial was conducted at AIIMS Rishikesh for transporting anti-TB drugs from the helipad to district hopsital of Tehri Garhwal. This will aid medicine delivery in hilly terrains. And we can look at more usages of such tech to ensure last mile reach for healthcare,” the Minister said.
The drone returned from the district hospital in Baurari to AIIMS with diagnostic samples of TB from the patient’s family members, TechEagle said in a statement.
This drone delivery was taken up as part of the the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched by the Indian government last year.