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Bi-directional drones to strengthen healthcare provision : experiences and lessons from Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal

Knoblauch, A. M. and De la Rosa, S. and Sherman, J. and Blauvelt, C. and Matemba, C. and Maxim, L. and Defawe, O. D. and Gueye, A. and Robertson, J. and McKinney, J. and Brew, J. and Paz, E. and Small, P. M. and Tanner, M. and Rakotosamimanana, N. and Lapierre, S. G.. (2019) Bi-directional drones to strengthen healthcare provision : experiences and lessons from Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal. BMJ Global Health, 4 (4). e001541.

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Abstract

Drones are increasingly being used globally for the support of healthcare programmes. Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal are among a group of early adopters piloting the use of bi-directional transport drones for health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This article presents the experiences as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of these country projects. Methods for addressing regulatory, feasibility, acceptability, and monitoring and evaluation issues are presented to guide future implementations. Main recommendations for governments, implementers, drone providers and funders include (1) developing more reliable technologies, (2) thorough vetting of drone providers' capabilities during the selection process, (3) using and strengthening local capacity, (4) building in-country markets and businesses to maintain drone operations locally, (5) coordinating efforts among all stakeholders under government leadership, (6) implementing and identifying funding for long-term projects beyond pilots, and (7) evaluating impacts via standardised indicators. Sharing experiences and evidence from ongoing projects is needed to advance the use of drones for healthcare.
Faculties and Departments:03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Public Health > Sozial- und Präventivmedizin > Malaria Vaccines (Tanner)
09 Associated Institutions > Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) > Former Units within Swiss TPH > Malaria Vaccines (Tanner)
09 Associated Institutions > Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) > Former Units within Swiss TPH > Health Impact Assessment (Utzinger)
UniBasel Contributors:Tanner, Marcel and Knoblauch, Astrid
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
e-ISSN:2059-7908
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
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edoc DOI:
Last Modified:13 Aug 2019 07:42
Deposited On:13 Aug 2019 07:42

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