Laksham Karthik Balajee
Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Karaikal, Puducherry, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2019 Feb;8(2):342-346. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_413_18.
In developing countries, lack of access to roads is critical for medical supplies like vaccines and drugs. Air transport like a helicopter is expensive and not affordable. The success of drones in the fields of ecology and environment makes us believe that they can also be used in the field of Public Health as medical couriers. The important strength of using drones is its potential to decrease the travel time for diagnosis and treatment. They are a cost-effective alternative to road transport in difficult terrains. Drones can be used in the transport of blood from the blood bank to the place of surgery and that of specimens from hard-to-reach areas to the labs in nearby towns. They can deliver essential medicines like anti-venom for snake bite and dog bite and prevent deaths. Drones can be employed in disaster relief operations for rescuing victims and in the delivery of food, water, and medicines. Organs can be transported in a short time bypassing the busy traffic. However, operating drones require trained staff and the lack of infrastructure like runway is a potential problem. Drones cannot carry heavier payloads or deliver goods long distances. Drones in the hands of terrorist groups may be weaponized and used for terror attacks. Medical drones may be mistaken for military Drone and attacked by armed forces.
在发展中国家，道路不通畅对疫苗和药品等医疗物资来说至关重要。像直升机这样的航空运输成本高昂，难以承受。无人机在生态与环境领域的成功应用让我们相信，它们也能够作为医疗快递工具应用于公共卫生领域。使用无人机的重要优势在于其有可能缩短诊断和治疗的运输时间。在地形复杂的地区，无人机是一种比公路运输更具成本效益的选择。无人机可用于将血库的血液运输到手术地点，以及将偏远地区的样本运输到附近城镇的实验室。它们可以运送诸如蛇咬伤和狗咬伤的抗蛇毒血清等基本药物，从而预防死亡。无人机可用于救灾行动，救援受害者，并运送食物、水和药品。器官可以在短时间内运输，避开繁忙的交通。然而，操作无人机需要训练有素的人员，而且缺乏跑道等基础设施是一个潜在问题。无人机无法携带较重的 payloads 或进行长距离货物运输。落入恐怖组织手中的无人机可能会被武器化并用于恐怖袭击。医疗无人机可能会被误认为是军用无人机并遭到武装部队的攻击。
