Against the clock: Can drones save lives?

Claire Shaw – Portfolio Director

Key points:

A study into the use of drones for blood delivery in Rwanda found significant savings in delivery times and wastage.
Zipline’s autonomous drones are a cost-effective, convenient and environmentally friendly way to meet on-demand delivery needs.
Scottish Mortgage’s investment endorses the potential to improve global logistics by making healthcare and other products available to everyone, everywhere.

As with any investment, your capital is at risk.

Over 12 million people live in rural Rwanda, where the poor conditions of many roads can mean critical medical supplies take up to four hours to reach those who need them most.

So, when every second counts, we ask: can drone delivery save lives?

Finding the answer

The Lancet published a study conducted between 2015 and 2019 to discover how fast drones could deliver blood supplies from Centres for Blood Transfusion (CBTs) to 20 local hospitals in Rwanda. The authors then compared these findings against average road-delivery times in the same locations.

What they found could impact medical deliveries throughout the developing world.

Drone delivery: Flying in a solution

Drone delivery of critical blood supplies to remote communities in Rwanda was 96 minutes faster on average than delivery by road. In some cases, drones could even improve delivery times by an incredible three hours.

The study also revealed that drone delivery dramatically reduces the volume of medical waste created during deliveries. Blood donations have a limited shelf life, after which they cannot be given to patients. After 12 months of the study, it was found that faster blood, platelet, and plasma delivery had reduced expirations by 67 per cent.

Enter Zipline

Drone delivery of medical supplies can have some genuinely profound results, which is why Zipline operates the world's most extensive drone delivery system. The company has made it its mission to accurately and effectively supply life-saving medical products to those who need them most.

Zipline first landed in rural Rwanda. Why? Delivering blood products proved the perfect testing ground for the feasibility of on-demand drone delivery.

The country’s lack of road infrastructure and the time-critical nature of medical products meant the company could prove autonomous drones’ efficacy and worth in a challenging medical logistics environment.

To hear directly from Scottish Mortgage manager, Tom Slater and Zipline’s founder, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton on where the technology is going, listen to the podcast

Listen on Spotify →

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Where to from here?

However, it’s not just in developing countries where Zipline’s autonomous delivery service could redefine logistics. Zipline is already working with US healthcare providers to make deliveries more cost-effective, faster and zero emission.

Scottish Mortgage’s investment in Zipline recognises the value of this ‘instant logistics’ approach. It has the potential to reach everyone, everywhere, in a sustainable way that creates a more equitable society.

About the author - Claire Shaw

Portfolio Director

Claire Shaw is a portfolio director and plays a prominent role in servicing Scottish Mortgage’s UK shareholder base. Before joining in 2019, she spent over a decade as a fund manager with a focus on managing European equity portfolios for a global client base. With a background in analysing companies and communicating investment ideas, Claire is also responsible for creating engaging content that makes the Scottish Mortgage portfolio accessible to all its shareholders. Beyond that, she works closely with the managers, meeting with portfolio companies and conducting in-depth portfolio discussions with shareholders.

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