Health care service is now being provided to some of the country’s remotest communities thanks to the pioneering 19labs drone initiative. 19labs, a US-based telemedicine and digital health solutions provider, has begun delivering critical medical supplies to far-flung rural areas with the use of drone technology.
Chief Executive Officer Ram Fisher, in an interview with Bloomberg Technology, said that the company has been working with the Guyanese government in a public/private partnership to provide necessary health service to underserved rural communities.
Fisher noted the government’s eagerness to use technology to have a positive impact on the provision of health care service to those far-reaching communities.
“We have been building a public/private partnership with them (government) for the last few years in bringing advanced technology starting with telemedicine and now launching drone delivery of medication and bringing back from those Indigenous communities blood samples or other goods to the regional hospitals.”
Fisher said that the two-way delivery is essential given the difficulty that exists in reaching some remote communities. He said that the use of technology is nonetheless providing more opportunities to aid hinterland areas.
In February, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said its innovation and venture arm, IDB Lab, had partnered with 19labs to pilot the use of drone technology for delivering medical supplies to some of Guyana’s remote hinterland communities.
It said that the initiative enhances the country’s expanding telemedicine and digital health network by providing a cost-effective, long-range, two-way drone-delivery system that can transport medical supplies in remote and geographically isolated regions. Through its partnership with the Ministry of Health, 19labs has introduced telemedicine services to connect regional hospitals to remote health facilities.
Over 20,000 residents are expected to benefit from the 15 telemedicine centres in the most remote communities. By combining drone delivery with telemedicine, the initiative will enhance supply chain efficiency, reduce stockpiling of medical supplies and associated waste, while ensuring that communities have regular and emergency access to medications, the IDB stated.
