Drone sample testing is cutting TB diagnosis costs from ₹9,451 to ₹91 in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district
A study by AIIMS Bibinagar reveals that using drones to transport sputum samples for TB testing significantly reduces costs for patients and cuts diagnosis time. The initiative, part of the ICMR's i-DRONE project, successfully streamlined the diagnostic process in Telangana's Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.
Why it matters
This model demonstrates a scalable, cost-effective solution for improving healthcare access and diagnostic efficiency in remote, underserved regions.
A drone flight costing patients almost nothing could replace journeys that once left suspected tuberculosis (TB) patients spending an average of ₹9,451 out of their own pockets. A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar in Telangana has found that transporting sputum samples by drone reduced patients’ average expenditure to just ₹91 while cutting diagnosis time from 15 days to five days.
The study, published in the ‘International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease’ evaluated the impact of using drones to transport sputum samples from remote villages to TB testing centres in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district under the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) i-DRONE initiative.
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