The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a pilot project allowing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to transport donor organs, blood samples, medical devices, and medications required for transplants. This initiative is expected to reduce delivery times, streamline medical logistics, and help save more lives. This was reported by Dengi.ua with reference to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Organs Will Be Transported Between Hospitals via Drones
It is reported that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine is coordinating the project. The project involves the use of drones to transport anatomical materials between medical facilities, taking into account security considerations and coordinating flights with the authorities of the joint civil-military air traffic control system.
One of the pilot sites will be the state-owned non-profit enterprise “Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.” It already has three specialized drones in its fleet. These drones are capable of traveling distances of up to 700 km, performing vertical and horizontal flights, and landing directly on hospital helipads.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko emphasized that the development of organ transplantation continues even amid the war. According to him, in the first nine months of 2026, Ukrainian doctors performed 473 organ transplants, with nearly one in ten operations performed on a child.
“Time is of the essence for transplant surgeries. The ability to use drones—which can cover hundreds of kilometers much faster than a car—to deliver organs will help save more Ukrainian lives,” the minister noted.
Why Every Minute Counts in Transplantation
Currently, donor organs are transported primarily by car. Due to martial law and road conditions, such delivery can take several hours. At the same time, an organ’s viability outside the human body is limited, so the speed of transport directly affects the possibility of performing the surgery.
For example, a heart can be preserved outside the body for about four hours. At the same time, donor organs often have to be transported from remote regions. They are brought to the Heart Institute from cities such as Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, and Kovel.
The use of drones is expected to reduce transit times between medical centers, optimize logistics, and make high-tech treatment more accessible to patients.
Oksana Ferchuk, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, noted that dual-use drones can be employed not only for defense purposes but also in civilian medicine.
According to her, the ability to quickly and safely deliver organs, blood samples, and necessary medical supplies opens up a new level of logistics. At the same time, the use of drones will be organized in compliance with safety requirements and in coordination with the military.
How Many Transplants Were Performed in Ukraine in 2026
During the first nine months of 2026, organ transplants were performed at 21 medical facilities across the country. In total, doctors performed 473 surgeries, 44 of which were on children.
Specifically, Ukrainian medical professionals performed:
- 272 kidney transplants;
- 124 liver transplants;
- 76 heart transplants;
- one lung transplant.
Meanwhile, there are 4,382 patients on the National Transplant Waiting List, including 92 children.
It is reported that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, together with other participants, initiated this pilot project as part of Ukraine’s WINWIN 2030 Digital Innovation Development Strategy.