Rayagada: Drones will be engaged for delivering medicines and vaccines in remote tribal areas of Odisha. The special healthcare drone delivery service was launched in Rayagada district on Friday.
Under the programme, Redwing’s electric hybrid drones will deliver medicine and medical equipment to tribal dominated areas in Rayagada, which faces challenges in accessing healthcare services.
The first consignment of vaccines was despatched from district headquarters hospital (DHH) to community health centre (CHC) at Gudari in the district. Around 1.5 kg of medicines and equipments can be delivered at one go, sources said.
As the second district in Odisha, the scheme was experimentally launched in Rayagad after Kandhamal. The service got underway under the direct supervision of USAID and Redwing.
In the first phase, medicines were delivered at Kalyansinghpur and Gudari Hospitals through drones. After its success, medicines will be delivered to various hospitals situate in remote areas of the district.
Sources said that drones will be operated by a trained person in the District Headquarters Hospital. The drones will deliver all varieties of essential medicines for the patients at different hospitals.
Launching the service, Law Minister Jagannath Saraka said the service has been started on an experimental basis, and it will be continued in the future on a more serious note to provide essential medicines to the patients at various hospitals of the district.
Notably, medicines are already being delivered through drones in some districts of states like Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya in the country.
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