Chongqing - On March 19, Southwest China's Chongqing launched its first dedicated drone delivery service for emergency medicine.
The drone, loaded with essential medications like micafungin sodium, swiftly flew from the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park to Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, delivering critical drugs faster than ever before.
The service was initiated after a leukemia patient at Xinqiao Hospital undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation required urgent anti-infective treatment. The pharmacy was unable to provide the necessary medication due to stock shortages, so the hospital used drones to expedite the delivery, ensuring timely treatment.
The doctor retrieves the medication from the drone's cargo box. (Photo/Xinqiao Hospital)
Previously, emergency drug deliveries took around 45 minutes via road transport, covering 25 kilometers. With the drone delivery service, the same distance is now covered in just 26 minutes, nearly doubling the speed of traditional logistics.
Each drone flight can carry up to 9 kg of materials and has a range of 17 kilometers, making it a faster and more efficient option for time-sensitive deliveries. The drone service has already proved critical in emergencies, such as acute infarction thrombolysis and stroke treatment, where timely drug delivery is crucial.
"Xinqiao Hospital has already developed a priority list for drone deliveries. These include thrombolytic drugs for heart attacks and strokes, as well as severe trauma emergency kits, which cover 80% of critical cases. This system allows the pharmacy to immediately start drone deliveries in emergencies, saving valuable time," said Huang Jingbin, director of the Pharmacy Department of Xinqiao Hospital.
This innovation is part of Chongqing’s larger initiative to develop low-altitude economy infrastructure across the city. In 2024, Chongqing will expand its low-altitude economy with six pilot areas: Banan, Yongchuan, Dazu, Liangping, Wulong, and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area. These regions are quickly building the necessary infrastructure to support various drone applications, including emergency medical deliveries, cross-regional logistics, and traffic monitoring.
Yuan Quan, president of Chongqing Pharmaceutical (Group) Co Ltd, which is involved in the drone logistics initiative, stated, "The first flight marks the beginning of our efforts to deepen the integration of drone technology and intelligent storage solutions. Our goal is to eventually achieve full coverage of the air channel for drug distribution in Chongqing."
Xinqiao Hospital also plans to extend drone services to include blood transportation, test specimens, and epidemic prevention, further enhancing emergency medical response capabilities. This "air life channel" will help provide faster, more efficient healthcare delivery, especially for remote areas.
(Huan Ran, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)