Health + Tech | Drone deliveries for healthcare and emergency response | News

There is great potential for the use of drone technology to transform healthcare delivery as well as how we respond to natural disasters and similar incidents arising from infrastructure damage or deterioration.

As a country, we are vulnerable to hurricanes, landslides, floods and often suffer from the consequences of having old infrastructure. It is not unheard of for us to get reports of bridges breaking down, landslides or roads washed away, resulting in communities becoming inaccessible, for example. Similarly, in the aftermath of hurricanes entire communities are sometimes cut off from much-needed resources and services. In these instances, drones can be a lifeline by assisting with the delivery of essential items such as medication and food. Drones could, therefore, be one of the solutions to strengthen our emergency response and ensure that we can serve vulnerable communities in the most critical times.

After a hurricane, several communities can be cut off by landslides, floods or rivers overflowing their banks. People in these communities are at risk as they may not have access to medication and food. With the high incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, inability to access medication may become a life and death situation. In addition, untreated injuries and the spread of infectious diseases may also become a problem. In such cases, drones can be used to quickly access these communities and provide emergency medical kits, medication and other well needed supplies. Drones are able to navigate even treacherous landscapes with ease and to delivery much-needed items to these hard-to-reach locations.

Another advantage of using drones in these cases is how fast they can facilitate the response and how quickly they can get to the communities in question. Drones can get to places where traditional vehicles cannot and be directed to a specific drop-off point, ensuring that delivery times remain as short as possible. This is particularly useful during medical emergencies where a community in a mountainous region, for example, is inaccessible by traditional means, because access roads are blocked or too treacherous to traverse. A drone can swiftly deliver life saving medication such as insulin for diabetic patients or oxygen for respiratory illnesses quickly and thereby save lives.

With the use of advance global positioning systems (GPS) and mapping systems, drone delivery can be very precise ensuring that supplies reach exactly where they are needed. This can be useful when responding to specific households or clinics. They can also be programmed to land safely, or they can release parachutes carrying supplies, reducing the risk of loss or damage.To ensure continuous supplies to clinics that may be inaccessible at any point in time, drones can be used to deliver medication and vaccines that require refrigeration and have a short shelf life so that routine appointments can be kept and vaccine schedules maintained.

If we integrate drones in routine disaster preparedness plans, we can create a more reliable and robust response mechanism.The Government can seek to partner with the private sector to acquire drones at reasonable rates and to train those who would be responsible for piloting the drones as well as health staff. There will also need to be an investment in public education to ensure that citizens understand the purpose of the drones and the importance of taking care of them if they land in communities.

The future of Jamaica’s healthcare system lies in our ability to use innovative solutions to age old problems. Drones represent one such solution that can save time and facilitate a more efficient and reliable response. In this way we can immensely improve our emergency response mechanism and readiness and create a more equitable system where much needed supplies can reach every corner of the island.

Our healthcare system must rely on adopting resilient forward-thinking strategies in a world in which technology changes are rapid. The use of drones is just one way in which we can do this while at the same time revolutionise healthcare delivery and improve access for all our citizens.

Doug Halsall is the chairman and CEO of Advanced Integrated Systems. Email feedback to [email protected] and [email protected].