Original Story Published by: Neo Sesinye for IT News Africa
Photo Source: ©Val Vesa/Unsplash
Rwanda made headlines as the first country to pilot blood deliveries by drone.
However, President Paul Kagame has not been credited enough with improving the Rwandan health system with the use of drones. The drones have been improved on and will increase deliveries from 50 to 500.
Technology can save lives and this is a reality in Rwanda where drones are used to deliver medical supplies in remote areas.
In February 2016, Rwanda Government hired Zipline Inc- a California-based robotics firm to build the drone port in Shyogwe Sector, Muhanga District – Southern Province in a bid to improve accessibility to blood and emergency medical supplies to remote parts of the country.
The method of transporting blood using drones in Rwanda goes as far back as two years ago. Zipline, the world’s first commercial drone delivery service has over time distributed 7000 units of blood covering over 300,000 km. A journey that would probably take three hours by road has been reduced to six minutes. Rwanda is the first country to make use of this service which has proven to be a lifesaver for mothers and children.
In a Times magazine interview, Keller Rinaudo the co-founder of Zipline said, “The reality is, moms die in every country in the world for (lack of blood). Rwanda was just the first country to do something about it.”
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