Blue Dart to operate drones for delivery of vaccines and medicines

Blue Dart, a leading express logistics service provider, on Thursday said it formed Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium with a mission of revolutionising the delivery of vaccines and emergency medical supplies to the remotest parts of India using drones.

According to a press release from the logistics major, Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium is part of the 'Medicine from the Sky' project in collaboration with the Telangana government, World Economic Forum, Niti Aayog and Healthnet Global.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has granted the project with necessary exemptions and rights to fly drone flights on an experimental basis in Telangana.

The aim is to assess an alternate logistics route in providing safe, accurate and reliable pickup and delivery of healthcare items (medicines, Covid-19 vaccines, units of blood, diagnostic specimens and other lifesaving equipment) from distribution centres to specific location and back, the release said.

Blue Dart Med-Express Drone flights will deploy an immersive delivery model to optimise the current healthcare logistics within Telangana.

The model will enable deliveries from district medical stores and blood banks to Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Blood Storage Units & further from PHCs/CHCs to Central Diagnostic laboratories, it said.

Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart said, "As an organisation Blue Dart has always been surrounded with the technology of the future. It is this ability that has helped us to not only withstand the pandemic but thrive with growth.

While we reach out to over 35,000 locations across the country, the current situation calls for a much deeper penetration of vaccines."

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, IT and Industries, said "Telangana is one of the most proactive states looking to adopt emerging technologies, and the 'Medicine from the Sky project using drones is in line with the same principles.

This project is one of the first such programs in the country...The vision is to ensure healthcare equity for rural areas."