Medicines and Samples Delivered via Drones from AIIMS Rishikesh to TB patients in 28 Minutes- WATCH

A quadcopter test flight was done to transport medicines and other supplies from Rishikesh, while samples from Tuberculosis patients were obtained in Tehri.

Uttarakhand: A drone successfully carried vital medicines to a remote place of Uttarakhand's hill state. The autonomous vehicle delivered tuberculosis medications to a health centre in Tehri, Garhwal district. The drone took off from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh and flew 40 kilometres in 30 minutes. The journey is around 2 hours by driving. A quadcopter test flight was done to transport medicines and other supplies from Rishikesh, and samples from Tuberculosis patients were obtained from a health centre. "Several medicines & samples came via drones from AIIMS Rishikesh for TB patients in 28 mins. We have sent our medicines & samples back. This is helpful as sometimes we need medicines urgently," said Damayanti Darbal, Lab Technician, District Hospital as quoted by ANI. 

According to the media reports, "Supplying medicines will be helpful for patients living in far-off areas of Uttarakhand. We want to create a system where patients suffering from tuberculosis can get medicines, and they don't have to travel long distances for the treatment," said AIIMS Rishikesh Executive Director, Dr Meenu Singh. "Drone's take off is not the only achievement, but the delivery of medicines to remote areas with safety is a bigger achievement," Dr Singh added.

The Indian Army employed drones to deliver booster doses of Covid vaccination to advance troops in snowy locations in Jammu and Kashmir. Drones were employed in Maharashtra as well to distribute immunisations to rural villages.