By the end of the year, India’s first medical drone corridor is expected to connect AIIMS Delhi and Jhajjar; the aviation ministry has approved it, but the police have yet to authorise it.
Before the end of the year, India could have its first dedicated medical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) corridor. This is because AIIMS, India’s leading medical institute, may get a drone corridor with its expanding campus in Jhajjar, Haryana, by the end of the year. If that occurs, transporting life-saving supplies from the parent campus to AIIMS Jhajjar — which is about 50 kilometres apart and takes around 1.5 hours to drive depending on traffic — will be a matter of minutes.
According to a top aviation ministry official, the government and the Airports Authority of India have given their approval (this plan). “AIIMS is still seeking (a few) more clearances.” Following that, test flights will be conducted. Regular (drone) flights might begin in roughly six months if all goes well, according to the official.
According to a top aviation ministry official, the government and the Airports Authority of India have given their approval (this plan). “AIIMS is still seeking (a few) more clearances.” Following that, test flights will be conducted. Regular (drone) flights might begin in roughly six months if all goes well, according to the official.
Drones have been used to deliver medical supplies, including Covid vaccinations, to distant districts of India over the last year.
Their deployment for delivering lifesaving medicines will only grow in the future. The problematic issue is employing them in cities, especially in regions that are in the flight path of airports.
One of AIIMS’ top executives, who did not want to be identified, corroborated this. “We’re awaiting authorisation from the Delhi Police Department.” The drone facility will be introduced by the health minister once we get it,” he added. Drones would initially be used to transfer blood samples, blood products, and medicines, according to the source.
“At the moment, several tests are not offered at the Jhajjar campus. Drones can transfer samples to the Delhi campus for testing. In the same way, blood products can be transferred in an emergency,” he stated.
“Local police in Indian cities have arranged traffic channels for trucks to rush freshly harvested organs from airports for transplantation to critically ill patients in city hospitals on multiple occasions.” This is not an easy task, given the state of traffic in all major Indian cities. Drones can also accomplish the same task during rush hour, according to Arjun Aggarwal, MD of the Aerodyne India company.
One of the difficulties in transferring medicines, blood samples, blood products, or organs for transplantation is maintaining their temperature, as well as dealing with vibrations that may occur during transport and other contingency preparations such as biosafety.
According to sources, a panel discussion on these issues was held on the margins of the Bharat Drone Mahotsav, India’s largest drone festival, which was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Pragati Maidan on May 27. “We talked about the models used by nations like Israel, where this facility is already in operation,” one of the specialists who took part in the discussion told TOI.
A drone corridor is a section of airspace designated by competent authorities in cooperation with airspace planners to keep commercial drone operations out of the airspace used by manned aircraft.
As it traverses the flight corridors/approach route of Delhi airport’s runways, air traffic control, which is overseen by the AAI, plays a significant role in this corridor. The AIIMS is located on the approach path of runway 27. (closest to Dwarka side). Then there’s the IIT area, which is the main runway’s flight corridor (28). Beyond that, the approach for runway 29 is the Saket malls-Qutab Minar area (the one close to Shivji statue). In a few months, the IGI Airport will open its fourth runway, which will run between runways 28 and 29.
“The AIIMS idea to use drones to deliver lifesaving medical supplies is fantastic. If it succeeds, other medical institutions in different states can use the same approach to improve technology and equipment utilisation “According to Dr. Harsh Mahajan, the founder and chief radiologist of Mahajan Imaging and a former president of NATHEALTH,
