Drug Delivery by Drone

Posted avril 20, 2020
Impact Area COVID-19

A high-tech solution to extremely rough terrain in Madagascar just might be able to inform drug delivery during a time of social distancing.

In Madagascar, 80% of the population lives in rural areas and most people must travel several kilometers to access health products and services. Healthcare delivery on most parts of the island is quite challenging due to poor road infrastructure, increasing political and economic insecurity and severe weather caused by climate change.

With funding from USAID and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, PSI Madagascar has piloted the use of drones to ensure the last mile distribution of critical health commodities to the most rural parts of Madagascar. The use of drones in northeast Madagascar allows health commodities to reach remote areas in a short time period and at a reduced cost with wider and more efficient coverage than standard transport options. A drone can transport up to 10 kilograms of products and travel up to 100 kilometers with an average speed of 100 kilometers per hour. With this innovative technology, PSI Madagascar expects to revolutionize access to drugs in rural areas and save more lives at a lower cost.

During this pandemic, adapting programming and scaling innovations to meet our consumers’ needs continues to be at the heart of PSI’s work. Check out the video below to learn more.

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In rural Ethiopia, women and girls often face significant barriers in accessing healthcare facilities, which can be located hours away. Moreover, there is a prevailing stigma surrounding the use of contraception, with concerns about potential infertility or the perception of promiscuity. To address these challenges, the Smart Start initiative has emerged, linking financial well-being with family planning through clear and relatable messaging that addresses the immediate needs of young couples—planning for the lives and families they envision. Smart Start takes a community-based approach, utilizing a network of dedicated Navigators who engage with women in their localities. These Navigators provide counseling and refer interested clients to Health Extension Workers or healthcare providers within Marie Stopes International-operated clinics for comprehensive contraceptive counseling and services.

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In IM-supported areas of Mali, 36% of CHWs in the first round were competent in performing the RDT, which rose to 53% in the second. 24% of CHWs in the first round compared to 38% in the second were competent in the treatment of fever cases and pre-referral counseling. Between both rounds, availability of ACT increased from 80 percent to 90 percent.

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Here’s what it looks like in practice.

In July 2020, PSI Angola, alongside the Angolan digital innovation company Appy People, launched Kassai, an eLearning platform that targets public sector health workers in Angola. Through funding from USAID and the President’s Malaria Initiatve (PMI), Kassai features 16 courses in malaria, family planning, and maternal and child health – with plans to expand learning topic areas through funding from ExxonMobil Foundation and private sector companies. A partnership with UNITEL, the largest telecommunication provider in Angola, provides all public health providers in Angola free internet access to use Kassai.

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Drug Delivery by Drone

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The Consumer as CEO

Digitalizing contraceptive counseling to reach rural women and girls in Ethiopia

Building community health worker capacity to deliver malaria care

Taking a market-based approach to scale sanitation in Ethiopia

Promoting self-managed care like Self-testing and Self-Sampling

Using peer coaches to counter HIV stigma in South Africa

simplifying consumers’ journey to care in Vietnam

Engaging the private sector for disease surveillance in Myanmar

Training health workers in Angola

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