A drone takes off during an emergency drill for blood transportation yesterday.
Shenzhen is set to introduce a new drone blood delivery route after Spring Festival, further expanding its innovative approach to medical emergency response. This initiative is part of a broader plan to promote drone-based blood transportation across medical institutions.
According to the Shenzhen Blood Center, the city has already established 16 drone blood transportation routes. The upcoming new route for the Huaqiangbei Blood Donation Station will be a significant addition to the network.
A large-scale emergency drill was held yesterday, sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Public Hygiene and Health Commission. The drill, which involved the Shenzhen Blood Center, the Bao'an District Central Blood Station, the Longgang District Central Blood Station, and Shenzhen Bao'an People's Hospital, simulated a scenario where a patient with severe bleeding urgently required a blood transfusion.
The hospital's request for blood led to the activation of the Shenzhen Blood Emergency Support Work Plan, with drones swiftly transporting blood from other institutions to save the patient's life.
Ning Li, Party chief and director of the Shenzhen Blood Center, emphasized the importance of blood transfusions in both daily medical rescue operations and urban emergency responses. "The highlight is our ability to achieve rapid response through drone blood transportation," Ning said.
The Shenzhen Blood Center has been at the forefront of this innovation, having released the country's first 5G drone blood transport intelligent airport platform in January 2024.
Since then, the city has completed 7,070 drone flights, transporting a variety of blood products like red blood cells, platelets, and cryoprecipitate, with a total weight of 4,412 kg, according to the center.
"This equates to approximately 5,000 surgeries that have utilized blood transported by drones, accounting for about 10% of the blood center's business volume," Ning explained.