## World Economic Forum's 'Medicine from the Sky - India' gains ICAO accolades for pioneering drone health supply chains Forefront of reimagining healthcare supply chains by using drones

World Economic Forum's 'Medicine from the Sky - India' gains ICAO accolades for pioneering drone health supply chains 9th September 2024, Montreal: The World Economic Forum's India initiative, 'Medicine from the Sky,' has been featured as an inspirational story by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for its innovative use of drones to enhance health supply chains in the region. This was announced at the FIRST ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY SYMPOSIUM (AAM 2024) in Montreal.  This groundbreaking project was first trialed in India’s southern state of Telangana, India, in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals Healthnet Global and India's apex think tank, NITI Aayog, before being extended to the challenging terrains of the Himalayan belt of Arunachal Pradesh. Drones have immense potential to deliver essential goods to vulnerable populations, overcoming traditional access barriers and enabling faster delivery of lifesaving medicines. One of the primary challenges lies in building public confidence and ensuring regulatory compliance to integrate drones seamlessly and safely into healthcare systems. The 'Medicine from the Sky' initiative is at the forefront of reimagining healthcare supply chains by using drones to deliver vaccines, diagnostic samples, and medicines to remote areas in India. The first phase of the initiative launched in Telangana tested drone deliveries of medical supplies, successfully completing over 300 drone-enabled vaccine delivery trials, and, establishing the initiative as the first of its kind in Asia. Building on the success in Telangana, the project expanded to the more challenging landscapes of Arunachal Pradesh, a Himalayan state characterized by mountainous terrain. This phase involved stress-testing drone systems in complex terrains and integrating them into the healthcare distribution system. Over 650 drone flights have been executed, delivering more than 8,000 medical products to across a demanding 15,000 km ground distance. Ground based distances of 8 hours have been reduced to 22 minutes using drones. The World Economic Forum enabled collaborative initiatives in Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh in partnership with the state governments. In Telangana, the Forum facilitated pilots conducted by seven consortia in response to a state government call to action while in Arunachal Pradesh, the program was executed by Redwing Labs and funded by USAID.  While the initiative presented unique solutions to power up health supply chains, it also showcased how coordinated drone programs can support the local economy by creating jobs, reducing out of pocket citizen expenses, invoking the interest of youth in the subject and the deployment of women pilots.  Medicine from the Sky is part of the Forum’s AVIATE Advanced Air Mobility initiative that was announced at the Paris Air Show in 2023.  Read Briefing Paper - Medicine from the Sky: Community Outcomes of Drone Deliveries in the Himalayan Region