The program, launched on April 3, 2025, in Gisagara District at Gakoma Hospital, is part of a collaboration between the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and Zipline, a company specializing in drone-based medical deliveries.

Dr. Jean Damascène Niyonzima, who heads the malaria control unit at RBC, said the new approach is designed to solve delays in the traditional drug delivery system, which can put patients at serious risk, especially in urgent malaria cases.

"The distribution routes for medication are often long, and road transport tends to face challenges that cause delays. That’s why we introduced this drone delivery system to ensure that if a patient with severe malaria needs an urgent injectable treatment that’s out of stock locally, the medicine can reach them in time," he explained.

He emphasized the importance of technology in modern healthcare response, "Embracing technology is something we’ve found to be very effective in helping us respond quickly to patients in need."

Gisagara district mayor, Jérôme Rutaburingoga, highlighted the area’s vulnerability to malaria due to surrounding wetlands, which provide ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. He said new strategies are being implemented to fight the disease.

"We’ve taken special measures. Right now, our community health workers are treating more patients than all other health professionals combined. This ensures anyone who gets sick is treated immediately and no time is lost," he said.

He also mentioned efforts to make mosquito nets more affordable: "We’ve agreed with RBC to reduce the price of insecticide-treated nets to 5,000 Rwandan Francs from the current 10,000, to make them more accessible to the population."

Gisagara District recorded approximately 106,000 malaria cases in the 2024/25 fiscal year, up from over 59,000 in the previous year. The most affected sectors are those near wetlands.

Severe malaria cases have been reported in Gisagara, Nyamasheke, and Nyagatare, with some patients losing their lives due to delayed treatment. Nationwide, malaria has claimed 61 lives so far this year, according to RBC data.

The drone-based delivery system will initially operate in Gisagara, Nyamasheke, and Nyagatare Districts, serving hospitals and health centers. The program is expected to expand to other parts of the country in the near future.

The program was launched on April 3, 2025, in Gisagara District at Gakoma Hospital.

Rwanda has officially launched a latest tech initiative to deliver malaria medication using drones.