HP govt to deliver medical products through drones

The Himachal Pradesh state government has entered into an agreement with Drone delivery services company Skye Air to investigate the usage of drones in different services. The corporation will use drones to deliver medications and agricultural products under the terms of the agreement.

The 3-day long Trial run in HP’s Chamba region
Skye Air has begun a 3-day long BVLOS experiment in the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh to connect around 6 PHC/CHCs and Area Hospitals via several flights between places covering an aerial distance of 170 km throughout the trial as part of the strategic cooperation. The Drone delivery technology company will use advanced drones and technologies to deliver vaccines and medications in real-time within a temperature range of 2-8 degrees Celsius.

Several reverse logistic flights will be conducted to aid in the deployment of drone technology to allow cost-effective deliveries within the state.

During the trial run, drone flights carrying medical supplies flew at an altitude of 400 feet above ground level in the designated Green Zone of Chamba district. Flights took place in three different air corridors: Chaned, Tissa, and Mehla.

Mukesh Repaswal, Director, Department of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh Govt, commented on the development, saying, “The demonstration in Chamba would assist in establishing the benefits of drone use in medication distribution and benefits of drone-enabled governance.” We look forward to all the successful completion of the BVLOS trials in Chamba and the expansion of the Himachal Pradesh drone-based delivery ecosystem to healthcare and agri-commodity deliveries.”

Swapnik Jakkampundi, Co-founder of Skye Air, commented on the agreement, saying, “At first, we will do roughly 25 flights during the testing period, taking on challenging weather and terrain obstacles.” As we prepare to allow commercial flights in the area in the next months, we will be able to directly benefit over 5.19 lakh people by improving healthcare access and creating direct employment in the drone-based delivery ecosystem.” Krishi Jagran