By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network on Thursday announced that it will embark on an innovative drone-delivery project called Medicine from the Sky.

The project will run in partnership with the Telangana government and Health Net Global and will include a comprehensive study of drone-based deliveries for blood, vaccines, medical samples and organs.

The project will help facilitate better decision-making in healthcare supply chains, focus on last-mile deliveries to augment national healthcare programmes, and address issues that affect the medical distribution system.

“Telangana is one of the most progressive states in India that understands the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it can impact the people of the State. We hope that through this pilot with the World Economic Forum, we can inform the Centre on the regulations that can help us positively use drones and unlock the potential of India by harnessing technology,” IT secretary Jayesh Ranjan said.

Health Net Global Limited highlighted their commitment to the engagement of drones in the healthcare sector. “The partnership between World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, government of Telangana and Health Net Global Limited would embark on a historic effort to pilot the transport of medical supplies using drones,” K Hari Prasad of Health Net Global Limited, said.

“This study will provide an evidence-based approach for implementation of drones in healthcare, enabling emergency-care services to the patients in the shortest time frame possible, thus saving their live,” he added.

“This is a landmark development for unmanned aerial technology in the region,” said Murat Sönmez, Managing Director and Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network. “Drones have immense applications in the healthcare sector. This step could be transformational,” he said.