VIJAYAWADA: Delivering vital healthcare access to hard-to-reach tribal hamlets nestled in hilly terrains, Andhra Pradesh’s drone-based medical transport system has achieved significant milestones, completing over 1,800 flights and logging more than 71,000 km since its launch in January 2026.
In an official statement released on Sunday following a review meeting with officials, Health, Medical, and Family Welfare Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav revealed that the four-drone fleet operating in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district has provided critical healthcare services to over 24,500 patients.
The unmanned aerial vehicles have transported more than 2,200 diagnostic test samples—including 596 sickle cell anaemia samples—enabling over 9,000 medical tests, while swiftly delivering essential medicines, vaccines, and emergency medical supplies to remote primary health centres (PHCs).
The drone network seamlessly connects Paderu Government General Hospital (GGH) with key area hospitals in Chintapalle and Araku, the Munagapattu Community Health Centre (CHC), and PHCs across Lothugedda, Tajangi, Sunkarametta, Bheemavaram, and Ananthagiri.
Highlighting further expansion, the Minister noted that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched a new drone route on August 29 to deliver medical test reports, vaccines, and drugs directly from the Gannela PHC to RK Nagar village, ordering the department to extend drone coverage across all underserved agency tracks.
Health and Family Welfare Commissioner K. S. Chakravarthy Babu stated that aerial delivery drastically reduces transit time, travel expenses, and lost workdays for tribal families who previously had to travel vast distances over rugged terrain. Beyond speeding up sample processing and sickle cell disease screening, the initiative is generating local employment, with Minister Satya Kumar Yadav confirming that over 25 local tribal youth have been trained to handle ground support and drone operation logistics.