Medical delivery times:
Can drones
save lives?
With over 12 million Rwandans living in rural communities, and the poor condition of many roads, it can take up to four hours for critical medical supplies to reach those who need them.
When every second counts, we ask the question: Can drones save lives?
Centre for blood transfusion
CBT
Estimated blood delivery
times to Rwandan hospitals*
by drone versus by land 2017 - 2019
h = Hours
m = Minutes
Hospital
districts
1
29m
4h
Muhororo
2
31m
4h
Ruhango
3
41m
3h
Ruli
4
54m
2h
Byumba
5
24m
2h
Kabgayi
By the end of the first 12-month period of the study, drone delivery reduced blood, platelet, and plasma expirations by 67%.
1
52m
3h
Butaro
58m
2
2.5h
Kinihira
3
43m
2h
Kabaya
4
41m
2h
Nemba
5
46m
2h
Shyira
33m
3h
Gitwe
1
2
37m
3h
Kaduha
44m
2h
Gakoma
3
4
40m
2h
Gikonko
5
40m
1.5h
Kigeme
6
33m
1.5h
Nyanza
7
57m
1h
Kibilizi
On average, drones deliver blood supplies
96 minutes faster than by truck or ambulance.
1
48m
2.5h
Murunda
2
31m
2h
Kirinda
3
50m
1h
Mugonero
* Round trip delivery times not including order preparation and packaging time, stratified by Centre for Blood Transfusion
Source: The Lancet
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Zipline operates one of the world's largest automated drone delivery systems that provide remote communities with critical medical supplies that save lives.
Methodology This study was conducted in Rwanda between 2017 and 2019 comparing delivery times by drone and estimated driving times between regional centres for blood transfusion and local hospitals.