Artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced medical drones in the healthcare supply chain (HSC) for sustainability development: A case study

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) has attracted extant literature devoted to different subjects, including healthcare. AI studies within healthcare, however, have focused extensively on medical diagnosis, operations, and prescription, to the neglect of supply chain management (SCM). To bridge this research gap, we draw on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a theoretical lens to explore how an AI-enhanced medical drone application in Ghana's healthcare supply chain (HSC) improves the HSC system and contributes to sustainable development. The data for this study is collated through documentary and an in-depth semi-structured interviews from the world's largest medical drone programme in Ghana. Findings indicate that an AI-enhanced medical drone application in HSC contributes significantly to the host country's HSC and sustainable development goals (SDGs) with particular emphasis on climate (SDGs 3, 8 & 13). The SDGs are achieved through the reduction of carbon emission with carbon and noise-free drones in the delivery of emergency medical products to healthcare centres. Furthermore, by adopting the use of medical drones in the HSC system, society's socio-economic situations are improved through the reduction of mortality rates and may lead to the provision of better social and economic lives for the citizenry. Moreover, the medical drones contribute to the long-term corporate sustainability of the implementing firm.