UAE: Drones deliver medicines in Dubai; 2-year trial is about to become a reality – News

Technology enables hospitals to deliver drugs to patients, who no longer want to wait in long lines as the pandemic changes consumer behavior

Residents of the UAE may soon start delivering medicine by drone, according to one of the country’s healthcare chiefs. Dr Fatih Mehmet Gul, CEO of Fakeeh University Hospital (FUH), said that given Dubai’s emphasis on innovation, it was only a matter of time before drone deliveries became commonplace.

last month, FUH towed drone delivery From healthcare facilities in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) to deliver medicine to patient’s home Cedre Villas within a 10km radius. Hospitals will continue to test drone deliveries, but Dr Fatih believes it may only be a few months before the delivery method is ready for the wider UAE population.

“For technology adoption, you need the right suppliers, the right governments and the right consumers,” he said. “Dubai has all three. So I think based on the demand and the response we’re seeing, residents can expect to get medicines by drone very, very quickly.”

Dr. Fatih said that the project has been piloted for two years and has seen the cooperation of multiple entities, including the UAE Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Dubai Health Authority and the Museum of the Future.

“We have been investing in technology from the beginning,” Dr Fatih said. “So when the authorities approached us looking for partner hospitals, we jumped in right away.”

The first priority for FUH is to begin developing policies and procedures for drone deliveries. “We also have to map delivery points, especially in apartments and skyscrapers,” Dr Fatih said. “Medicine is a very special product that has to be given to the right people. So we have to be prepared for the situation. We are working hard with the authorities to get what is needed to the right people at the right time.”

He also detailed how hospitals test deliveries in various situations. “We had to do a couple of tests and we’re still continuing to test,” he said. “We’re testing it under different weather conditions with different types of drugs and different types of storage methods.”

According to Dr Fatih, delivery by drone is the need of the moment. “Everything has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. “The supermarkets are all online, and the checkout points have changed. My patients are the ones who order food from the supermarket, so their expectations of the hospital are also high.”

Dr. Fatih said patients were reluctant to wait in long lines for their medicines. “They want to deliver medicine,” he said. “When we started using robots to deliver medicines, we didn’t anticipate the huge demand, but we were shocked by the way people adopted it and started using it. We have to do more to try and understand and provide our patients’ need.”

Since the news of drone deliveries broke, hospitals have taken a lot of interest in drone deliveries. “Young people love it,” Dr Fatih said. “Especially the fact that drugs are packaged in hospitals and then delivered to customers without anyone else handling them. Since the pandemic, no-contact delivery has become more popular.”

Proposals have been pouring into hospitals about what could be included in drone deliveries. “We’ve heard a lot of new mothers wanting to add items to the drone delivery range,” Dr. Fatih said. “They’re suggesting consumables and more. We’re excited to see what the future holds.”