iDrone Initiative: ICMR conducts trial run of blood bag delivery by drone

Source: The post is based on the article “ICMR conducts trial run of blood bag delivery by drone” published in The Hindu on 11th May 2023

What is the News?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has successfully conducted a trial run of the delivery of blood bags under its iDrone initiative.

What is the iDrone Initiative?

Launched by: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Aim: To assess the feasibility of using drones to deliver vaccines and medical supplies. 

Features: i-Drone was first used by ICMR during the Covid-19 pandemic for distributing vaccines to hard-to-reach areas.

– It is now being used to deliver blood and blood-related products which are supposed to be kept at a low temperature. 

Which other countries use drones to deliver medical supplies?

Some countries are already using drones to deliver blood products, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and even organs to remote, rural areas or areas with poor infrastructure.

In Ghana, drone delivery of blood — both as laboratory samples and as emergency blood and blood product delivery — is now available for thousands of health facilities serving millions of people.