Now, drones will deliver medical supplies

Abu Dhabi will soon used advanced drones to distribute and transfer medical supplies within its health-care sector.

The Department of Health — Abu Dhabi (DoH), the emirate’s health-care regulator, announced the round-the-clock delivery system yesterday and said that drones would use 40 stations across the emirate by 2022.

The project is a collaboration between the DoH, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and drone developers SkyGo and Matternet. Drones in the supply chain will be used to safely deliver medical supplies, medicine and blood units, vaccines and samples between laboratories, pharmacies, blood banks and health care facilities, thus enabling emergency responses and in reducing occupancy rates in healthcare facilities.

Better emergency preparedness

“The project aims to ensure the overall health and safety of the community, improving the sector’s efficiency while also increasing Abu Dhabi’s emergency preparedness. Additionally, the use of drones will yield environmental benefits with a reduction in carbon emissions and reduced road traffic congestion,” the DoH said in a statement.

“Under the wise leadership and its directives, we look forward to working with our partners to make Abu Dhabi the first city in the Middle East and North Africa to adopt and use of this technology,” said Abdulla Al Hamed, DoH chairman.