Islamabad, June 3, 2025: Saudi Arabia’s health minister has revealed a new drone service designed to deliver medicine swiftly during the Hajj season—an initiative developed over two years of thorough research and testing.
“This modern technology aims to deliver medicines on a large scale during the Hajj season while reducing the time required to deliver medical supplies to just six minutes, compared to 90 minutes using ground transportation,” Saudi Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel said.
The service will eliminate delays caused by crowded roads and pedestrian traffic, the minister said. He added that many trials over the last two year ensured that the drones could operate safely in extreme heat without damaging the medicine. Each unit has advanced cooling systems and is tested for temperature stability during both takeoff and landing.
The project is part of the broader healthcare reform taking place in the Kingdom, under the Saudi Vision 2030 program, a national strategy to modernize public services, including developing healthcare services for residents and visitors.
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“One of the most notable achievements of this transformation is the establishment of the Seha Virtual Hospital, the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records.” This facility is connected to over 200 hospitals through the Sehaty app and offers services to all residents and visitors without restriction.
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“The Kingdom is applying advanced technologies in the fields of robotic surgery, stroke management, and the use of artificial intelligence in health services, reflecting the serious trend towards digitizing the health sector,” Al-Jalajel said.
The health ministry plans to stay ahead of global health demands, promising even more technological breakthroughs for pilgrims in future Hajj seasons.
