New Delhi, July 16 -- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under its flagship i-DRONE initiative, has found that drone-assisted transport of tuberculosis (TB) sputum samples can significantly improve access to diagnostic services for people living in remote and underserved areas.

The findings are based on a programme-based study conducted in Telangana's Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district in collaboration with AIIMS Bibinagar and the District TB Office under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

The study compared the conventional system, in which patients travelled to diagnostic centres, with a drone-enabled model under which sputum samples were collected at nearby Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres (SCs) and tran...