Drones

Supply of UAVAid drones in Sierra Leone

The British drone specialist UAVaid launches the first medical drone delivery service in Sierra Leone

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

On November 19, the very first medical care by drone was completed in Sierra Leone as part of a collaboration between the Sierra Leone Directorate of Science Technology & Innovation (DSTI) and the British drone specialist UAVaid with the support of their VTOL technology partner SWOOP.

The delivery was made as part of the Medical Drone Delivery Project (MDDP) to improve access to medicines in remote parts of Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world, and was made to test and validate the use case of the MDDP demonstrate at the Mabang Community Health Post in the Moyamba district of Sierra Leone. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with the Department of Health and Hygiene (MoHS) and Crown Agents.

The first flight from the Rotifunk village to Mabang MCHP was completed in just 13 minutes, a significant improvement over the usual 2 hours by vehicle. The event was attended by dignitaries and ministers, including the CIO of Sierra Leone Dr. Sengeh, who outlined the role of innovation and technology in improving access to medicines. The flight also included officials from the Ministry of Health and agencies such as the National Agency for Medical Care, the Ministry of Basic and Higher Education, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries, UNICEF and other development partners and community stakeholders.

MDDP project leader David Manley said the project would initially focus on improving supplies to 250 community health centers (CHCs) and hospitals across Sierra Leone, with plans to significantly increase drug access for communities in remote areas of the country to enhance. “Not only does the use of drones help reduce maternal mortality, it also opens up the potential for a wide variety of cross-sector use cases and encourages informed decision-making at the highest levels of government,” added Manley.

“We are very proud to be working with the government of Sierra Leone on such an important project and helping improve the country’s health systems,” said Daniel Ronen, co-founder of UAVaid. “The use of drones helps overcome the numerous transport and data collection challenges associated with operating in such complex contexts.”

UAVaid was selected as the preferred drone supplier following a strict and transparent selection process in which more than 30 international companies were evaluated.

Read more about the medical drone deployment, SWOOP Aero in Africa, the SWOOP Aero kite drone and the innovation in medical drone deployment.

Ian attended the Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he now contributes to DroneLife.

Miriam McNabb is Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional marketplace for drone services, and a passionate observer of the emerging drone industry and regulatory environment for drones. Author of over 3,000 articles focusing on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam graduated from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years experience in high-tech sales and marketing for emerging technologies.
For advice or writing on the drone industry, email Miriam.

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