18. Drone-assisted Medicinal Maggot Distribution in Compromised Healthcare Settings

Timely delivery of medicinal maggots is challenging when logistics infrastructure is poor due to underinvestment or disaster-related destruction of roads, bridges and railway lines. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, commonly known as ‘drones’, are much cheaper to procure and operate than planes and helicopters and can overfly the areas where roads or railway lines are impassable. This chapter provides a brief profile of current drone technology, and explores drone service design considerations in relation to medicinal maggot distribution. It also presents case examples of drone technologies that could be used for medicinal maggot distribution, and provides guidance for the implementation of drone-assisted medicinal maggot distribution.