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A drone carrying emergency blood supplies arrives at Shaoxing Second People's Hospital. [Photo/Tide News]

Shaoxing Second People's Hospital has launched its low-altitude logistics system to deliver life-saving medical supplies during an emergency surgery.

A severely burned patient in need of immediate surgery required platelets mid-operation. The hospital's blood transfusion department swiftly submitted a request. Within 10 minutes, a drone carrying the necessary blood products arrived at the hospital, ensuring the procedure could continue without delay.

According to hospital data, the drone-based logistics system has so far transported 11,854 medical specimen tubes with no reported quality incidents. The system is part of a broader initiative to enhance emergency medical response through low-altitude smart logistics.

Drones are now employed in various tasks across Shaoxing, including river patrols and air pollution control. Each local police station in Shaoxing is equipped with drones, which play a crucial role in rescue and emergency operations.

This shift in mindset is a result of Shaoxing's dedicated efforts, particularly in Yuecheng, to develop the low-altitude economy.

The low-altitude economy is an economic concept that relies on low-altitude airspace, involving low-altitude flight, air tourism, passenger transportation, general aviation services, and scientific research and education.

The size of China's low-altitude economy as of the end of last year was estimated at more than 500 billion yuan ($69.52 billion), with its scale expected to rise to 2 trillion yuan by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.