Explained: How Telangana’s Medicines from the sky project will use drones to deliver drugs, blood

Telangana government’s ‘Medicine from the sky’ programme is all set for launch on September 11. Following a final regulatory nod from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to conduct operations, the launch event is scheduled in Vikarabad district.

Using drones as a mode of delivery to improve medical supply chains, the project aims to assess robustness and reliability of the same using different payload sizes, and in controlled temperatures, from distribution centers to specific locations and back. The payloads could be medicines, vaccines, units of blood, diagnostic specimens, and other lifesaving equipment. It further intends to assist policymakers and health systems to analyse the opportunities and challenges of drone delivery as well as competing delivery models and technologies.