Health facilities will soon be able to have timely access to essential medical supplies.
The Ministry of Health in a new plan seeks to partner with NARMA INC to improve the logistics of delivering medical supplies in rural health centres in Kenya.
NARMA INC is a Korea Aerospace Research Institute that develops world-standard delivery drones and service platforms.
The PS, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards Dr Josephine Mburu on Tuesday hosted officials from the company to discuss areas of collaboration.
“The project will use drone technology to deliver lifesaving medical supplies such as anti-venom, vaccines, blood and more,” the ministry said in a statement.
The pilot phase will take place in the counties of Machakos, Makueni, and Tharaka Nithi, with approximately 300 flights planned.
Mburu emphasised that the ministry will provide guidance through appropriate policy regulations.
Already, several counties have been testing the use of drones in the delivery of essential medical supplies.
Uasin Gishu county for instance early this month started testing drones to transport medical samples in the region.
The drones will be used to collect medical samples under a new deal to be implemented by ElsMed Healthcare Solutions of Israel to boost services at 138 health facilities in the county.
The drones to be used are 3m-long in size, 25kg in weight, have rechargeable batteries and can fly at night at 80km/hr when carrying capacity weight.
Kisumu in January conducted test flights for the first drone to deliver drugs to health facilities.
The drone delivered drugs from a warehouse in Muhoroni to the Migere dispensary in Kisumu.
It took three minutes to deliver the drugs. If the same drug was to be delivered by road it would have taken 30 minutes.
