Strengthening health systems to reach remote communities
How drone deliveries are bridging the gap in access to health services in Uruguay
Almost half of the world’s population live in remote areas, but across the world, most health workers and healthcare facilities are in cities. Communities in rural or underserved regions often face significant barriers to accessing the health care they need, from long travel times to reach facilities and providers, to delayed diagnosis and treatment.
Innovation is helping re-think the design of the healthcare system landscape. From telemedicine to drones, bold solutions are revolutionizing the way medical services are delivered to communities.
In Uruguay, Dronfies Labs by CIELUM -with support from the UNICEF Venture Fund- is piloting the use of drones to transport medical supplies such as medicines, blood samples and donated breastmilk from Tacuarembó Hospital, in the centre-north of the country, to the rural communities of Tambores, Curtina, and Ansina.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Latin America, cutting-edge technology is used to fly unmanned, battery-powered drones navigated by trained pilots from a base at the hospital to deliver up to 3 kilograms and 15 liters of medical supplies to areas within a flight range of 100 kilometers.
"We're at a turning point at Dronfies Labs, witnessing the power of our advanced low-altitude airspace management platform, CIELUM, in facilitating essential medical drone deliveries. This is more than a local initiative; we believe it can serve as a global model for overcoming healthcare accessibility challenges in remote areas. As we strive to amplify this impact, we are open to strategic alliances with both technical and financial partners aligned with our vision of transforming healthcare delivery."
Flight routes in the pilot will reach three rural polyclinics within the Tacuarembó Primary Care Network, the largest department in Uruguay, but are expected to be expanded to 10 more. There are also plans to install smart weather stations to provide real-time data on flight conditions at each location.
“The application of technology will [shorten time] in the diagnosis and treatment of patients living in rural areas”, says Dr Ciro Ferreira, director of the Tacuarembó Hospital.
“The sending of samples for examinations and their processing in the central laboratory will allow rural doctors to offer adequate and timely care. Medical material or specific medicines will also be sent to the polyclinics in situations that do not admit delays, such as the shipment of anti-venom serum.”
Innovative approaches like this are a critical part of designing health systems that inclusively deliver access to healthcare services for children and their communities around the world.
Having received seed and growth stage funding from the Venture Fund, the four-month pilot is a significant milestone in the company’s strategy. The potential for scaling efforts to strengthen health systems in Uruguay and beyond using drones is an exciting new frontier for them.
Alongside partners including Takeda Pharmaceutical Limited Company, UNICEF Venture Fund invests in start-ups in low- and middle-income countries developing innovative tech solutions that strengthen localized health systems to meet global health challenges.
