India Pharma Outlook Team | Monday, 14 July 2025
In a significant move towards the evolution of military healthcare logistics, the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) is investigating the feasibility of using drones for transportation of blood bags, medicines and emergency supplies, to remote and high-altitude areas.
This is in the pilot project stage and will allow for response times to be cut dramatically and improve last mile medical delivery for troops stationed in remote locations with constrained access.
During a recent commissioning ceremony at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General of AFMS, highlighted that their work with drones is not focused on medical evacuations at this time. She also mentioned that the defence medical establishment is looking at civilian drone delivery models to lend insights on scale and feasibility, particularly for defence environment.
Also Read: Unlocking India's Innovation Potential in Pharma
The drone initiative is part of a larger intent to bolster care in the armed forces with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, telehealth, genome sequencing and simulation-based learning and training. ACCS expects that these innovations will enable superior ultimately improve field-level diagnostics, field treatment and medical supply chains.
As terrain and weather continue to challenge conventional transport in India's border and hilly areas, drone-based medical logistics may offer a strategic solution—not just for the armed forces but also as a replicable model for civilian healthcare delivery in remote regions.
