Following its success in Rwanda, Zipline is expanding its drone delivery service

folarin okunola

January 9, 2017 1:34 PM

The new trial is being sponsored by the UK's department for International Development (DFID) and is targeted at reducing the delivery time of medical critical supplies.

A technician of California-based robotics company Zipline launches a drone in Muhanga, west of the capital Kigali on October 12, 2016

The new trial is being sponsored by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and is targeted at reducing the delivery time of critical supplies such as blood.

On the Tanzanian front, the Ifakara Health Institute, which specialises in malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis treatment as well as neonatal health issues, will be the implementing partner for the project. The Ifakara Health Institute operates out of Dar -es-Salaam.

ALSO READ: The first drone delivery program in the world is delivering blood to clinics

According to an iAfrikan report, the DFID estimates that delivering blood and medical supplies could save as much as £47,000 ($58,000) a year compared to the equivalent if said supplies are delivered by road.

However, Tanzania is much larger than Rwanda and this will pose a new factor for Zipline - if its drones will be able to operate on a larger scale (re: Tanzania).

Test flights are expected to begin in early 2017, and it is estimated that the deliveries made using the drones could help in as much as 50,000 birth each year.

This means waiting times for mothers and new born babies will be drastically cut down, improving the lives of the citizens and making life-saving medicine much readily available.

folarin okunola