Bhubaneswar: In a groundbreaking development for emergency healthcare, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has successfully conducted the first-ever trial of a drone healthcare service in Odisha.
The trial, orchestrated by executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas and his team, involved transporting blood units from AIIMS Bhubaneswar to the community health centre at Tangi in Khurdha. The experiment, deemed successful, covered a distance of 70 km in just 35 minutes. The drone departed from AIIMS Bhubaneswar at 12 pm and reached Tangi CHC at 12.35 pm, not only delivering blood units but also collecting blood samples from the CHC back to AIIMS.
Official sources revealed that the success of the trial has prompted considerations for the drone to deliver emergency drugs and injections, further enhancing healthcare accessibility. Dr Biswas, addressing the media, emphasized that this experimental drone service marks a significant milestone for AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The positive outcomes have inspired further exploration of how drone services can contribute to the healthcare sector’s efficiency.
Dr Biswas highlighted the potential benefits of drone services in disaster management scenarios such as cyclones and floods, where delivering medical essentials via road transport might not be feasible. He also emphasized the critical role of drone healthcare services during emergencies, ensuring the timely availability of blood units for critical cases. The upcoming trial on January 25 aims to validate the scalability and reliability of the drone healthcare service on a larger scale, building on the success of the initial experiment.
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