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On Wednesday, April 10, Dr. TMA Pai Rotary Hospital in Karkala collaborated with Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, Udupi district, to pioneer an aerial healthcare delivery system using drones. This initiative, supported by Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), involved transporting medical samples, including oncopathological samples, between peripheral and tertiary care hospitals in Karnataka. The first successful sample delivery occurred from Karkala to Manipal, marking a significant advancement in healthcare logistics. A statement from Kasturba Hospital highlighted that this drone service drastically reduced travel time between the two towns from 60 minutes to just 16 minutes, covering a distance of 37 kilometers. Additionally, an ICMR update emphasized another milestone: transporting tissue samples mid-surgery from a peripheral hospital to advanced pathological testing at a tertiary setting, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment decisions. ICMR emphasized that by reducing travel time from 60 to 16 minutes over a distance of 37 km, this innovative approach facilitates faster decision-making during surgery and enhances access to advanced healthcare for patients in peripheral hospitals. Kasturba Hospital stated that the primary goal of this initiative is to evaluate the feasibility of using drones to transport materials, such as frozen section samples, from remote areas to peripheral hospitals. This effort aims to improve the healthcare system by enabling surgeons to perform procedures requiring such samples in rural areas. The lack of intraoperative sample transportation from rural regions poses a significant challenge in India, which the drone project seeks to address by exploring the feasibility, utility, and cost-effectiveness of drones. By leveraging drone technology, samples can be swiftly transported, granting immediate access to advanced diagnostics like frozen sections during surgical procedures. Successful implementation of this research could transform healthcare delivery by establishing links between remote hospitals and laboratory facilities, facilitating complex surgeries for patients in geographically inaccessible regions. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research for the Union government and Director General of ICMR, along with Lt. Gen (Dr) M D Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor of MAHE, were present at the inaugural ceremony of the event