YuyuTeijin Delivers Medical Device Consumables by Drone to Island Patients

Delivery Time Shortened from 20 Minutes by Ship to Just 3 Minutes by Drone
Delivery Time Reduced by 85 Percent

Overcoming Ferry Schedule Restrictions with Only Four Daily Services
Monthly Regular Deliveries Planned by Year-End

Service Expansion to Island Regions Including Wando and Jindo in South Jeolla Province Planned for 2027

YuyuTeijin Medicare, a home respiratory medical device specialist, announced on September 29 that it had conducted a demonstration project in cooperation with Tongyeong City, South Gyeongsang Province, to deliver medical device consumables such as ventilator parts by drone to patients living on islands.

Yuyu Teijin's drone delivery service for medical device consumables in rural areas. Yuyu Pharm

During this demonstration, a drone departed from Dara Port in Sanyang-eup, Tongyeong and carried approximately 500 grams of consumables, including ventilator breathing circuits and filters. The drone flew around 3 kilometers in a straight line and arrived at the Hagrimdo drone landing point within three minutes. Previously, it took about 20 minutes by ship to travel from Dara Port to Hagrimdo. The introduction of drones has reduced the delivery time by around 85%.

Hagrimdo is only served by a ferry four times a day, requiring delivery and device check-ups to be scheduled according to the ferry timetable. If the ferry service is suspended due to bad weather, the supply of consumables could be delayed. Because items like breathing circuits and filters for ventilators are consumables that must be replaced in a timely manner, drone deliveries are expected to reduce the limitations imposed by ship operations.

After verifying factors such as delivery time, packaging safety, and convenience for recipients during this demonstration, YuyuTeijin Medicare is planning to switch to regular deliveries once a month by the end of the year. In 2027, the company plans to form a consortium with local governments and drone operators to expand services to island regions like Wando and Jindo in South Jeolla Province, which currently lack drone routes. By combining drone delivery with existing in-person inspections, they aim to minimize any gaps in medical device management services.

The demonstration utilized the K-Drone Delivery route operated by Tongyeong City under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "Drone Demonstrative City Development Project." Since 2024, Tongyeong City has provided drone delivery services to 16 island villages, including Hansando and Sanyang districts, and was selected for the project for three consecutive years as of this year.

Wonsang Yoo, CEO of YuyuTeijin Medicare, said, "Our goal is to enable patients in island regions to receive essential consumables at the same speed as those in urban areas. Based on our nationwide service network, we will make drone delivery the new standard for caring for home medical patients in remote islands."

Sumahn Cho, an officer in Tongyeong City's Information and Communication Department, stated, "This is an example of expanding the scope of island area drone deliveries, which used to focus on food and daily necessities, to now include medical device consumables for home patients. The K-Drone Delivery service is expected to expand from everyday convenience to also enhance medical welfare for island residents."

YuyuTeijin Medicare, an affiliate of Yuyu Pharmaceutical, provides nationwide rental and home-visit management services for respiratory medical devices such as oxygen concentrators (SOC), portable oxygen concentrators (POC), ventilators (VENT), and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.