Drone deliveries for rural healthcare: MCMC pilot project in remote Sabah areas to begin year-end
TAWAU, May 12 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has unveiled a pilot project to deliver medicines using drones at the Sabah Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025, held at the Tawau Municipal Council Square.
The drone was one of the main attractions at the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) booth, as a high-impact initiative for the community, especially in remote areas.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who officiated the closing of Sabah PMR 2025 yesterday, also visited the Nadi booth and observed the drone in action.
In a statement yesterday, MCMC's Corporate Communications division stated that the initiative to deliver medicines to Nadi centres using drones will be carried out with the Ministry of Health as the main partner and Mranti and local drone technology providers as strategic partners.
'This initiative is a pilot project to demonstrate the effectiveness of delivering medicines to rural and remote areas from health clinics to selected Nadi centres.'
'It also aims to speed up access to medication for communities in hard-to-reach areas, including islands, remote villages, and locations without proper road infrastructure,' the statement said.
The first phase of the drone medicine delivery project, involving two Nadi centres, is expected to be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2025.
'This project supports the government's initiative to expand access to future healthcare services that are more equitable and high-quality for rural communities through technology, in line with advancements and the availability of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI),' it added.
According to MCMC, the project will be expanded to 150 Nadi centres in 2026 and eventually to 392 centres by 2027.
At the Sabah PMR programme, the Nadi booth featured various smart services covering five key areas: entrepreneurship, healthcare, lifelong learning, IT awareness, and government services. — Bernama
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