In a significant step towards improving emergency healthcare access in remote tribal regions, the State Health and Family Welfare Department has entered into a key agreement with a private firm, Red Wing, to supply medicines and blood units to hospitals using drones,on Wednesday (December 24, 2025).
The initiative will be operated with Paderu in Alluri Sitarama Raju district as the central hub, with services scheduled to begin by the end of next month.
The agreement aims to ensure timely delivery of essential medical supplies to far-flung tribal areas where road connectivity is poor and transportation is time-consuming. Under the arrangement, drones will be used to transport medicines, vaccines and blood units to primary and community health centres located in remote locations.
According to an official statement from the Health Department, the agreement was signed between Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Veerapandiyan and Red Wing representative Kundan Madhireddy.
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The firm, which has already been successfully providing similar services in Arunachal Pradesh, has agreed to offer its services free of cost for the first six to seven months in Andhra Pradesh as part of a “proof of concept” initiative.
Operations to Be Hubbed at Paderu
Paderu will function as the main hub, covering a radius of 60 to 80 kilometres, serving several primary and community health centres. The drones will be equipped with cold chain facilities to ensure that medicines and vaccines remain intact during transit. Each drone will have the capacity to carry a payload of up to two kilograms.
In addition to delivering medicines, the drones will also transport blood, urine and stool samples collected from patients back to laboratories for diagnostic testing during return flights. Commissioner Veerapandiyan said the drone services are expected to commence by the end of next month.
Future Expansion from KGH to Paderu
Highlighting the challenges of transporting medical supplies through hilly tribal terrain, officials said the coalition government is focusing on drone-based logistics to save crucial time and lives during medical emergencies.
The government is also considering expanding the service in the future to transport medicines from King George Hospital (KGH), Visakhapatnam, to Paderu, further strengthening healthcare delivery in tribal regions.
Published – December 25, 2025 04:20 pm IST
