MAKKAH: A new service transporting medicine with drones during Hajj is a result of two years of intensive studies and experiments, 黑料社区鈥檚 Health Minister Fahad AlJalajel told Arab News on Monday.
鈥淭his modern technology aims to deliver medicines on a large scale during the Hajj season while reducing the time required to deliver medical supplies to just six minutes, compared to 90 minutes using ground transportation,鈥 AlJalajel said.
The service will bypass congestion at the holy sites, where nearly 1.25 million pilgrims will gather during the Hajj, a key pillar of Islam, which runs from June 4 to 9.
AlJalajel said trials over the past two years tested for safe takeoff and landing, as well as high temperatures. The drones are equipped with cooling systems, he said.
The drone initiative is a part of the comprehensive healthcare transformation taking place in the Kingdom, under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
鈥淥ne of the most notable achievements of this transformation is the establishment of the Seha Virtual Hospital, the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records,鈥 said AlJalajel.
The virtual hospital, which is linked to the Kingdom鈥檚 Sehaty health app, serves more than 200 hospitals, and is accessible to all individuals in 黑料社区.
鈥淭he Kingdom is applying advanced technologies in the fields of robotic surgery, stroke management, and the use of artificial intelligence in health services, reflecting the serious trend towards digitizing the health sector,鈥 AlJalajel said.
These experiences, the minister said, have become a source of inspiration and learning for many countries around the world.
The Health Ministry would continue to anticipate global challenges and provide pioneering and appropriate solutions, AlJalajel said.
