Donor organs will be delivered by drones: Ukraine launches an experiment

In Ukraine, an experiment is being launched to transport medical supplies between hospitals by drone. The decision has already been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The project is intended to reduce delivery times for materials whose timely arrival can mean the difference between life and death for a patient.

The drones will be used to transport:

• donor organs;
• blood samples;
• medicines;
• medical devices.

This type of delivery will be particularly important for transplant medicine, as donor organs must reach the transplant site in time. The system is also expected to be used to transport medicines and blood samples for laboratory testing.

The trials will begin at the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, which will be the first participant in the experiment. The facility already has three specialized drones with a flight range of up to 700 kilometers. They are equipped to land directly on specially designated hospital landing pads.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhii Koretskyi explained that during the war, transporting medical supplies by road can take too long. Damaged roads and other transport restrictions create additional challenges. Drones are expected to speed up deliveries, including from remote areas where road transport takes a considerable amount of time.

The use of civilian drones during martial law will involve special security measures. Every flight will be coordinated with the military, and the aircraft will be given special status and identification systems for airspace.

A separate procedure has been developed for air raid alerts. If continuing the route is not possible, the drone will be able to land at a backup site.

The project will be implemented by:

• Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
• Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

In the future, the experiment’s findings are expected to be used to develop a Ukrainian air traffic management system for civilian drones, UTM. Its purpose will be to ensure safe flight operations and establish rules for using drones for civilian purposes.

We wrote earlier:

• Russians seize food delivered by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones from residents of Oleshky
• 13-year-old girl breathes on her own: Ukraine performs its first pediatric lung transplant
• Ukraine in six months: 327 organ transplants and 280 bone marrow transplants — nearly 30% more than last year
• When it seemed impossible, Ukrainian medical staff took a helicopter into the air and saved a teenager
• In Kyiv, 13-year-old Ivan saved four lives through posthumous organ donation