A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has demonstrated that drone-assisted transport of tuberculosis (TB) sputum samples can reduce diagnosis time and patient expenses.

The study was conducted under ICMR’s flagship i-DRONE initiative in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, in collaboration with AIIMS Bibinagar and the District TB Office under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

The study compared the conventional system of patient travel for TB diagnosis with a drone-enabled model. It enrolled 840 participants and found that the median turnaround time for TB diagnosis decreased from 15 days to 5 days following the introduction of drone-based sample transport.

The findings showed that diagnostic delays were significantly reduced, enabling earlier confirmation of the disease and faster clinical decision-making. The study also found that drone-assisted transport of sputum samples can significantly improve access to diagnostic services for people living in remote and underserved areas while reducing the financial burden on patients.