Drone Innovation - Supporting Health Emergency Preparedness and Response in Timor-Leste : Assessment Report (English)

The outbreak of pandemics such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, climate change-induced natural disasters, and associated health crises such as Dengue and Cholera outbreaks have highlighted the limited preparedness and response capacity of national health services around the globe to ensure ongoing health service delivery during disasters. In many low-and-middle-income countries, fragile national service provision coincides with challenging topography and infrastructure deficits, often creating unsafe and unstable conditions for resupplies or even outright inaccessibility across parts of a country. In response to these challenges, countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Vanuatu, the Maldives have turned to the lower skies to help overcome existing and future challenges to service provision, exploring disruptive drone technology to overcome previously insurmountable hurdles. This report represents a feasibility assessment covering the business case, ecosystem, and regulatory readiness for introducing drones to support the Government of Timor-Leste (GoTL) in strengthening health service delivery and ensuring resilience during future climate shocks, natural disasters, and health emergencies, as well as eventually as a part of standard health service delivery.