Daijiworld Media Network - Vijayawada

Vijayawada, Dec 27: In a first-of-its-kind initiative to strengthen emergency healthcare services, the Andhra Pradesh government will deploy drones to transport medicines, vaccines and blood units to hospitals in remote tribal regions.

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 identified as the central hub. The agreement was formalised between Commissioner (Medical and Health) G Veerapandian and Red Wing representative Kundan Madireddy, with services expected to begin by the end of next month.

Under the initiative, drones will deliver medicines and blood units to Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres within a 60–80 km radius of Paderu. Each drone will have a payload capacity of up to two kilograms and will be equipped with cold-chain facilities to ensure safe transportation.

The drones will also be used to transport blood, stool and urine samples from health centres to laboratories, helping reduce diagnostic delays and improve access to timely healthcare in remote areas. The State government is also planning to use drones to transport medicines from King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam to Paderu during medical emergencies.

Red Wing, which operates similar services in Arunachal Pradesh, will provide the service free of cost for six to seven months under a proof-of-concept phase to assess the feasibility and efficiency of drone-based medical logistics in the state.