The trial run, in which the drone carried blood units from AIIMS Bhubaneswar to the community health centre at Tangi in Khurdha, was carried out by executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas and his team who termed the experiment as successful.
Bhubaneswar: In a development that could be a boon in timely healthcare in emergencies, AIIMS Bhubaneswar conducted a successful trial of drone healthcare service, the first of its kind in Odisha.
The trial run, in which the drone carried blood units from AIIMS Bhubaneswar to the community health centre at Tangi in Khurdha, was carried out by executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas and his team who termed the experiment as successful.
Official sources said the drone covered 70 km in 35 mins. It started out from AIIMS Bhubaneswar at 12 pm and reached Tangi CHC at 12.35 pm. It not just delivered blood units but also collected blood samples from the CHC to AIIMS. The proposal to deliver emergency drugs and injections via drone is also being considered, they said.
Addressing mediapersons, Dr Biswas said this is the first time AIIMS Bhubaneswar carried out an experimental drone service and was successful. The success has encouraged us to explore ways in which drone service can benefit the healthcare sector, This could be particularly helpful in disaster management like cyclones and floods during which delivery of medical essentials via road transport may not be feasible or during emergencies where blood units may be required in critical cases. This is first of its kind drone healthcare service in Odisha where delivery of drugs or blood or other medical needs can be made available on time. We are carrying out another trial on a larger scale on January 25 and hope it will be successful as well,” he said.
