Photo courtesy of Zipline
Zipline, a U.S. robotics firm based in the Silicon Valley, and the Rwandan government have partnered in a project that delivers blood products to remote locations by drone. The blood delivery service began operations in late 2016, and has reduced the turn-around time required for these facilities to receive life-saving blood products.
Hospitals in Rwanda had long faced logistical issues with transportation. A large portion of the population lives in rural areas with hilly terrain and unpaved roads; the challenges are worse during the twice-a-year rainy season. This combination of travel difficulties and distance often meant long delays in getting blood products where they were needed.The Zipline story has been detailed in an issue of MIT Technology Review. It describes a drone delivery of blood to Kabgayi District Hospital, which is 60 kilometers away from the capital city, Kigali. It states that, “In the past, hospital staff would make three drives per week to procure blood products … a three-to four-hour round trip. Emergencies meant additional trips – sometimes resulting in life-threatening delays. Now, a Kabgayi lab technician simply taps out an order on a smartphone and Zipline’s distribution center, located 5 kilometers from the hospital, will have a drone there within 15 minutes.”
In addition to red cells of all blood types, Zipline delivers platelets, fresh frozen plasma, and cryoprecipitate. These blood products had been underutilized because of the challenges of storing them at the health facilities. In the future, Zipline plans to broaden the range of products delivered by drone, including drugs to treat malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV, plus additional vaccines and test kits.
Helmer Scientific was selected as a partner to help manage the storage and processing of blood products in Zipline’s drone distribution hubs. Helmer Scientific blood bank refrigerators, freezers, platelet storage systems, and plasma thawers are being used to ensure the safe storage and handling of products at the front-end of the Zipline delivery service. If you would like more information on high-quality, reliable storage and processing products from Helmer, visit our website.
Zipline is implementing plans to expand its drone delivery service in Tanzania and additional countries. Read the full article to learn more.
