Currently, drones are being used to deliver items such as pizza, and they may soon be utilized for online shopping deliveries. This raises a significant question: Why aren’t drones being more widely used to deliver urgent medications or critical medical supplies? The authors highlighted this point in this article. Drones have huge potential to support current health services by delivering medications, medical supplies, pathology samples, or conducting medical observations in emergency medical conditions, according to trials conducted in Australia and abroad. Some emergency agencies already use drones to provide medical assistance to individuals.
Drones play a crucial role in medical supply transportation by bypassing heavy traffic to reach their destinations promptly. During any emergency, they are highly effective because they can reach hard-to-reach places, such as cliffs or isolated locations. Drones may safely drop supplies using parachutes in situations where landing is not possible. They can potentially save lives when every second matters by using this skill to deliver vital supplies such as defibrillators or antivenom before emergency responders arrive at the scene.
Drones can also improve medical response by taking aerial imagery and scanning emergency locations prior to sending out staff members. This birds-eye view provides valuable situational awareness, helping ambulance crews and first responders assess risks and better prepare for intervention. The drones, which fitted thermal imaging technology and high-intensity search lights to find missing people, were operated by paramedics with specialized training during a two-month period. The drones also have audio and video systems installed, which allow the paramedics team to monitor the patient’s condition and their surroundings, along with communication.
Drone transportation of medications and pathology samples between the large distance hospital in Kingaroy and small rural hospitals in Nanango and Wondai has been tested by Darling Downs Health in Queensland. With this technology, delays are eliminated because samples are delivered straight to the lab after collection to diagnose patients’ conditions and treat them faster.
A pathology service using drones is established for the Moreton Bay islands by Brisbane’s Mater Hospital. Surf Life Saving Queensland uses drone patrols to keep an eye on shark activity and to manage safety measures like beach restrictions. In New South Wales, drones have been used to deliver life jackets to swimmers in danger, which would give them immediate aid before lifeguards arrive. Drones have been tested by Swedish researchers to deliver defibrillators to people who have called emergency services for a suspected heart attack.
Despite these promising developments, drones have some limitations. Their range and duration of drone operations are restricted by battery life and payload capacity. The effectiveness of certain drones during emergencies or natural disasters can be diminished by their limitations during daytime operations and potential inability to fly in bad weather.
Learning from other companies that are currently using drones could provide the required suggestions to the healthcare sector. By researching and adopting these well-established procedures, health services can discover how to use drone technology in a safe, effective, and cost-efficient manner. With further innovation and policy support, drones may soon become an integral component of emergency medical response and rural healthcare delivery.
Reference: Caffery L. Snoswell C. How a drone delivering medicine might just save your life. The Conversation (Australia & New Zealand); Published on July 16, 2025. Accessed on July 17, 2025. How a drone delivering medicine might just save your life
