I had largely dismissed drones as a much-hyped but impractical delivery option until I read this article in the Wall Street Journal on drones delivering medical supplies in rural Africa. Visiting Uganda about 10 years ago with my Johnson and Johnson colleague, Dr. Paul Stoffels, I was struck by the lack of basic medical supplies in rural areas, due to cost and lack of infrastructure.
In the US, we hear a lot about drones being used by Amazon or by real estate and insurance companies (or even to film celebrity weddings), but the assessment of Philippe Nteziryayo, Kabgayi Hospital’s director general, that drones “save the lives of our patients,” caused me to view the capabilities of drones differently.
While drone delivery won’t solve all these problems, one hopes that the companies cited here can effectively use drones to provide emergency care and save lives. For more on this article click here.