The Ministry of Health has started testing drones to transport medical supplies and laboratory samples between mainland and island health facilities, as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare in hard-to-reach communities.
The first medical logistics drone flight was launched by the Minister of State for Health in charge of Primary Health Care, Dr Charles Ayume, along the Butabika-Koome-Kalangala Town Council-Butabika route.
The drone delivered essential medical supplies to health facilities serving island communities before returning to the mainland with laboratory samples for testing.
The Ministry says using drones could help overcome some of the transport challenges that often affect island communities, where poor connectivity and long travel times can delay the delivery of supplies and the testing of samples.
Dr Ayume said information gathered from the flights will be used to determine how drone transportation can be incorporated into Uganda’s existing Integrated National Sample Transport Network.
The initiative is expected to improve the speed and reliability of transporting laboratory samples from hard-to-reach areas, allowing health facilities to receive test results more quickly and support timely diagnosis and treatment.
The Ministry of Health says the drone flights are part of wider efforts to explore technology-based solutions that can make healthcare delivery more efficient, particularly for communities that are difficult to reach using conventional transport.
