Blue Dart, India's leading express logistics service provider and an unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), developed the Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium with the goal of using drones to transform the delivery of vaccines and emergency medical supplies to India's most remote locations. In conjunction with the Government of Telangana, the World Economic Forum, Niti Aayog, and Healthnet Global, the Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium is a part of the 'Medicine from the Sky' project.

The project has been granted required exemptions and rights to conduct drone flights in Telangana on an experimental basis by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The goal is to evaluate an alternative logistics path for picking up and delivering health care items (medicines, covid-19 vaccinations, blood units, diagnostic specimens, and other lifesaving equipment) from a distribution centre to a certain site and back.

Blue Dart is dedicated to enhancing supply chain infrastructure and is battling the pandemic vigorously. Drone flights operated by Blue Dart Med-Express will use an immersive delivery strategy to improve Telangana's present healthcare logistics. The approach will allow deliveries from district medical stores and blood banks to Primary Health Centers (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Blood Storage Units, and then to Central Diagnostic Laboratories from PHCs/CHCs.

Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart says, “It’s been over a year and our battle against COVID-19 continues to unfold new challenges that need solutions in real-time. The pandemic has taught each one of us the importance of logistics and the need for a tech-led supply chain infrastructure. While we reach out to over 35,000 locations across the country, the current situation calls for a much deeper penetration of vaccines.”

Commenting on Blue Dart’s experiment with Drone flights for Beyond Visual Line of Sight delivery of vaccines Ketan Kulkarni, CMO & Head, Business Development, Blue Dart says, “The consortium aims at enabling safer, efficient and cost-effective Drone delivery flights. With efficient systems in place, it can help reduce the current logistics cost, making the healthcare logistics faster and efficient. We are delighted to be granted the rights to commence operations and this is definitely the need of the hour. Mankind is witnessing the worst time and Blue Dart is committed to giving back to the society in which it operates and will always be ready to take one step forward.”

Smt. Rama Devi Lanka, Director of Emerging Technologies and Officer on Special Duty (OSD), ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana, says, “The project would generate real and actionable insights to drive future adoption policies and integration with the existing healthcare supply chain. With covid-19 pandemic wrecking existing supply chains, adopting such disruptive technologies is the need of the hour.”

Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana, says, “This project is one of the first such programs in the country where multiple drones would fly BVLOS to establish their value proposition for the healthcare supply chain. The vision is to ensure healthcare equity for rural areas.”

Blue Dart has continuously worked with the medical equipment and pharmaceuticals sector to maintain the supply chain and deliver critical shipment and essential supplies including Covid vaccine samples, temperature-controlled movement of COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators, PPE, testing kits, reagents, enzymes, respirators, surgical masks, goggles and gloves amongst other critical material. The company’s six Boeing 757 freighters ensure the ease in ramping up operations swiftly to handle large scale shipments.

Blue Dart has been consistent in its support to the nation in the fight against the pandemic. In keeping with its commitment to its philosophy, Blue Darters have been working tirelessly to guarantee the continuity of the mission-critical supply chain since the time the country has been gripped by the pandemic.