WEST NILE REGION, UGANDA: The Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) College of Health Services Makerere University has today launched The West Nile Medical drone project in Adjumani as a pilot district, the project accordingly is aimed at overcoming geography with technology.
Gerald Aluma, the regional coordinator IDI explains that the medical drone project will be used to transport covid-19, samples and drugs to different health centers in the district and West Nile sub-region and provide automated medical information and follow-up of data.
He said the project has been designed to complement the current sample collection and transportation system but not to disrupt it since a drone will fly from Yumbe district to Adjumani in 7 minutes while from Moyo to Adjumani which is 45 kilometers in 5 minutes.
The Adjumani DHO Dr. Drametu Dominic has hailed IDI for the innovation because drones are fast and suitable for hard-to-reach places and will go a long way in the delivery of drugs and covid-19, samples.
He called upon leaders in Adjumani and West Nile sub-region to embrace the drone technology and strongly believes it will succeed.
The Adjumani District LC5 Chairman Mr. Anyama Ben has said his government will not take issues of health lightly and appealed to IDI to come up with a sustainability plan so that the district will be able to sustain the project beyond the IDC project time frame.
The West Nile medical drone project is funded by, United Nations Capital Development Funds, the coordinates of the route chart have already been picked and flight testing is expected to begin on August 23, 2021.
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