The Andhra Pradesh Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare is planning to use drones to deliver medicines to far-off places in Alluri Sitharamaraju (ASR) district. A pilot project may soon start there. The department announced on December 3 that it is talking to an organization currently delivering medicines by drones in Arunachal Pradesh. This group has offered free services for nine months under a 'Proof of Concept' model. Currently, medicines move by vehicles from Paderu to other parts of ASR district. The department wants Paderu to be the main hub for faster delivery of medicines and blood to Primary and Community Health Centres and Area Hospitals, which are 60 to 80 km away. Each drone can carry up to 2 kg of medicines and blood units. They have cooling systems to keep vaccines safe. The plan is for drones to deliver medicines or blood units to hospitals and return to Paderu carrying patient samples like blood, urine, or stool. The department may also use drones to carry medicines from King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam to Paderu once permissions are in place. Until now, drones have been used in the state mainly for spraying disinfectants, fighting mosquitoes, and delivering food during floods.