Uganda deploys medical drones to serve islands

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has launched a medical drone flight to deliver essential supplies to island health facilities and collect laboratory samples, in a move aimed at improving care for hard-to-reach communities.

Dr Charles Ayume, the Minister of State for Health in charge of Primary Health Care, launched the flight from Butabika to Koome, then to Kalangala Town Council, before it returned to Butabika.

The drone carried medical supplies on its outward journey and brought back laboratory samples for testing. The flight will help the ministry assess how drone transport could support deliveries and sample collection where conventional transport presents challenges.

For island communities, reliable transport can determine how quickly health facilities receive supplies and how soon patients get test results. The deployment seeks to address those gaps and support timely diagnosis and treatment.

“Evidence from these flights will inform decisions on how drone transport can be integrated into the existing Integrated National Sample Transport Network, strengthening timely and reliable sample transportation from hard-to-reach communities,” Ayume said.

The ministry will use findings from the flights to guide decisions on integrating drones into the national network, which transports samples from health facilities to laboratories for testing.