Context:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has successfully conducted a trial run of delivery of blood bags by drones under its iDrone initiative.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
iDrone Initiative for Medical Supply Delivery
- The iDrone initiative is a validation study conducted by ICMR, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida, and Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JIIT), Noida.
- The trial run was the first of its kind in India and aimed to assess the feasibility of using drones to deliver medical supplies, including vaccines, to difficult geographical terrains.
- The inaugural trial flight carried 10 units of whole blood samples from GIMS and LHMC within visual line of sight.
- The i-DRONE project was specifically designed for drone response and outreach for the North East and delivered medical supplies, including COVID-19 vaccines, routine immunisation program vaccines, antenatal care medicines, multi-vitamins, syringes, and gloves.
- The project’s drone delivery system focused on the end-to-end ecosystem for drone-based logistic transportation within the states and achieved the first successful delivery of vaccines through drones from land to island in South Asia.
-Source: The Hindu
