Andhra Govt's Drone-Based Medical Service Boosts Healthcare System In Tribal Areas
Drones transport blood samples from hospitals in remote locations to District Government General Hospital at Alluri and bring medicines and test reports from previous days.
Published : July 4, 2026 at 1:52 PM IST
Paderu (Andhra Pradesh): On June 23, a shortage of malaria medication arose at the Chintapalli PHC situated in a remote tribal area of Alluri Sitarama Raju District in Andhra Pradesh.
Within just 40 minutes of notifying the Government General Hospital (GGH) at the district headquarters in Paderu about the shortage, a drone arrived carrying the necessary medicines.
The Andhra Pradesh government recently launched the drone-based medical service in remote regions of state. These drones will supply medicines, blood units and deliver laboratory test reports to government hospitals from the district hospital to remote areas.
"Before this initiative, we had to wait at least 2-3 days to get the medicine because someone had to travel to the district hospital. Now that the drone-based service is here, we will get necessary medicines within hours," said a staff member at the Chintapalli PHC.
Last December, the State Department of Health, Medical, and Family Welfare signed an agreement with Redwing, a company already providing medical services through drones in Arunachal Pradesh.
As part of this initiative, preliminary services are currently underway, with Paderu serving as the operational hub. Drones are now transporting medicines and laboratory test reports between this hub and the surrounding Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and area hospitals.
The Government has plans to expand these services across the Alluri district in three phases. The project is currently launched in eight medical and health centers. These include Chintapalli Area Hospital, Munchangiputtu CHC, and the PHCs at Bhimavaram, Tajangi, Sunkarimetta, Lothugedda, and Ananthagiri.
Drones transport blood samples every day from these hospitals to the District Government General Hospital (GGH) at Alluri and bring test reports from the previous days and necessary medicines. The service will launch in another 10 hospitals during the second phase, and in the third phase, it will extend to the remaining hospitals.
A drone hub has been established on an 80-cent plot within the Government Degree College grounds in Paderu, Alluri district. From this location, drone services are provided to hospitals within a 100-kilometer radius.
Two persons have been appointed to manage the services: one operates the drone and the other handles exchanging medical samples and medicines with the medical staff. Once a drone arrives in Paderu from a hospital, the samples are transported to the Government General Hospital (GGH) via a bike runner. Subsequently, medicines and reports ready at the GGH are loaded onto the drone for return transport.
While there are currently four drones available, three are being used for the initial phase of services, with the fourth kept on standby for emergency operations.
Dr. Deepika and Abhijit, representatives of Redwing, said drone services will soon link with KGH in Visakhapatnam. "Given the presence of defense establishments in Visakhapatnam, we have applied for the necessary permissions and will commence operations as soon as they are granted," said Dr. Deepika.
Talking about Redwing, Abhijit said: The company previously delivered medical services using drones in Arunachal Pradesh for a year and a half. We stopped these services because the Arunachal Pradesh Government now operates its own drone services. We are also implementing this project in the Kandhamal district of Odisha.
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