The UPS Foundation and REDWING Collaborate to Improve Health Equity in India
UPS Healthcare • October 30, 2026 • 3-minute read
In collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh reaches milestone, delivering 83,000 medical supplies to remote communities.
What's New?
The UPS Foundation is collaborating with REDWING to deliver lab kits across India using autonomous drones to automate supply chains.
Why It Matters:
This is reducing out-of-pocket healthcare costs by cutting the time and cost of lab diagnostics for underserved communities.
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A Scalable Model for Health Equity
For millions of people living in remote and rural communities across India, access to basic diagnostic services isn't a given. Geography, limited infrastructure, and long travel distances mean that lab results can take days to arrive. Healthcare facilities in areas like Paderu are difficult to reach, and patients sometimes have no choice but to stay on-site while they wait for results. This collaboration addresses that gap by removing logistical friction in lab supply delivery. The UPS Foundation's commitment to health equity drove the exploration of drone-enabled logistics in India, which led to the REDWING collaboration. UPS Flight Forward™ drone and innovation experts provided technical guidance in support of the initiative.
The state government provided land for the drone hub and actively encouraged clinics to adopt the solution. This tripartite model, combining private logistics expertise, innovative drone technology, and government infrastructure support, is what helped enable the program to scale. By reducing the time and cost of lab diagnostics, this collaboration is helping lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs, shorten wait times for lab results, and strengthen local health systems through improved supply chain reliability. REDWING's model also supports job creation by recruiting and training drone operators from within the communities they serve and improving healthcare access throughout India's remote communities.
Key Operational Milestones
- 2,000+ flights completed across the service area
- 79,000+ kilometers covered throughout Andhra Pradesh
- 83,000+ medical products delivered to remote clinic sites
- 10 clinics currently operational in the Paderu region
Additional clinics in the Paderu region will be added to the network, expanding the program's patient reach and increasing delivery volume. The UPS Foundation, UPS Flight Forward, and REDWING will continue exploring how autonomous drone logistics can help expand healthcare access for underserved communities globally.
A Mission Rooted in Healthcare
At UPS, we know healthcare outcomes depend on reliable supply chains. For decades, UPS has helped move critical healthcare shipments around the world, connecting patients to the medicines, diagnostics, and care they need. The same logistics expertise that supports healthcare supply chains can also help address barriers to care in underserved communities. The UPS Foundation supports this mission by helping deliver pathways to the world's most difficult-to-reach communities.
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The UPS Foundation leads UPS’s global citizenship and philanthropy efforts, focusing on building safer, more resilient, and healthier communities worldwide. Their work is guided by four core priorities: Health & Humanitarian Relief, Economic Empowerment, Local Community Engagement, and Planet Protection. These priorities shape a strategic approach that combines UPS’s logistics expertise, employee volunteerism, and financial and in-kind support to deliver meaningful, measurable impact.
Redwing designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone systems purpose-built for logistics applications. It is one of South Asia’s leading drone delivery enterprises with over 250,000 miles under its operations and pioneer in setting up India’s first drone delivery networks. Their drone systems manage the full delivery cycle - from order placement and flight operations to proof of delivery and hub return, making them a natural operational partner for last-mile healthcare supply chains.
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