Recently, Meghalaya became India’s first state to use drones for delivering medicines to remote health centres, greatly improving access to healthcare in its challenging hill terrain.
The state’s rugged landscape and poor roads made medical deliveries slow, with journeys to some centres taking three to four hours by road.
Bridging distances with drones On 5 December 2022, India’s first drone station was inaugurated at Jengjal Sub-divisional Hospital, West Garo Hills, to serve nearby hard-to-reach areas.
Next step: Faster and more flights The project also supports reverse logistics, like blood samples are flown back, with reports shared within an hour of collection, thus speeding diagnosis.