An experimental trial to utilise drones to provide healthcare services to tribal and rural communities in Seppa, a town in East Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, has been launched. Benaluru-based startup Redwing Labs will provide ‘Made in India’ hybrid Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) drones and run end-to-end operations for the project.

The pilot project has support from SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility – an initiative supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global. The healthcare drone pilots in Arunachal Pradesh are an outcome of the state’s partnership with the World Economic Forum’s ‘Medicines From the Sky’ (MFTS) initiative.

By delivering medical supplies up to eight times faster than road-based logistics, the drone network would serve the population of East Kameng by offering a better quality of care in the interior blocks. 

The pioneering initiative is the outcome of multiple stakeholders collaborating to improve healthcare access to communities in remote areas. This includes The Government of Arunachal Pradesh; World Economic Forum’s ‘Medicines From the Sky’ (MFTS) initiative; Redwing Labs with funding support from SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility – an initiative supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global.