Drone medical supply transport to Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills takes flight

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Published October 13, 2022 at 11:59 am

Halton Healthcare is part of the launch of a six-month pilot project to help develop a safe, reliable and efficient process to transport medical supplies and products using a drone delivery system. HALTON HEALTHCARE PHOTO

Care by Air has taken flight with medical supply stops at Halton Healthcare hospitals in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills soon to be on the schedule.

The sixth month project, done in partnership with the DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada, Drone Delivery Canada (DDC), McMaster University and Air Canada Cargo, officially launched Thursday (Oct. 13) and will help develop a safe, reliable and efficient process to transport medical supplies and products using a drone delivery system.

Among the first of its kind in Canada, this mode of transporting vital and potentially time sensitive medical supplies will enable the next horizon in healthcare delivery.

The project kicked of  with a demonstration flight at DSV Canada’s head office and logistics facility in Milton, en route to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) by Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RFA) carrying light medical supplies.

“At Halton Healthcare, we are committed to advancing how we deliver care, which includes finding new and efficient ways to use technology,” says Hilary Rodrigues, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, Performance & Chief Financial Officer, Halton Healthcare.

“Being at the forefront of an innovative drone delivery system is the ideal way to contribute to the advancement of healthcare so we can be more responsive to the care needs of our patients, families and communities.”

Care by Air aims to demonstrate the benefit and value of a drone delivery system in healthcare compared to more traditional transportation methods.

It also hopes to garner support and approval for the eventual transport of a wide-range of healthcare supplies and products, including specimens such as blood or human tissue and medical isotopes (supplied by McMaster University) to diagnose and treat heart disease and cancer, by cargo drones.

“The post-pandemic era has highlighted the need to find innovations in healthcare, enabling safe, secure and reliable ways to deliver vital or urgent medical supplies to facilitate patient care,” explains Martin Roos, Managing Director of DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada. “The Care by Air Project represents a critical step toward optimizing these supply chains.”

The Care by Air project will initially define flight routes from DSV to Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital utilizing DDC’s Sparrow drone, its DroneSpot® takeoff and landing zones and the Company’s proprietary FLYTE software.

Based on the pilot, the longer-term strategy involves creating a web of flight routes to interconnect all three Halton Healthcare hospitals in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.

 

 

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