KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Drones will soon be used in Tanzania to deliver medicines to health facilities across the East African country.

Tanzania's government is working with U.S. logistics company Zipline to launch what will reportedly be the world's largest drone delivery service to provide access to critical medical supplies.

Zipline said in a statement Thursday that in the first quarter of 2018 Tanzania's government will begin using drones to make up to 2,000 deliveries per day to more than 1,000 health facilities.

Laurean Bwanakunu, director general of Tanzania's national medical stores, said the drone service will be crucial in times of unexpected demand, bad weather, or for small but critical orders.

Since October 2016 Zipline has been operating a similar drone delivery service in Tanzania to make emergency blood deliveries to transfusion clinics.