In a first for Romania, MedLife introduces drone delivery for lab samples, over distance.

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

MedLife, Romania’s largest private healthcare system, recently announced a new drone delivery system for biological laboratory samples. In partnership with Australian company Skyy Network, this new project makes MedLife the only private healthcare provider in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe to use drone technology for laboratory sampling and will make them among the only European organizations routinely transporting biological samples over medium and long distances.

Oradea – Nagyvarad medieval fortress, Bihor, Romania

The initial operations will be between four localities in Bihoe County (Aleșd, Beiuș, Marghita, Salonta) to Oradea and Arad, but will eventually be expanded nationwide. The route between Orodea and Arad is more than 120 km (more than 70 miles), making it the longest drone flight route for medical samples in Europe. Their partners, Skyy Network, are specialists in drone integration with extensive manned and unmanned operational experience. The MedLife project further benefits from the approval of the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority (RoCAA), as well as the Public Health Directorate in Bihor and Arad County and that of the Ministry of National Defence. UAV transportation is estimated to save almost 50% more time than ground transport, allowing for same-day medical test results for over 75% of their offerings.

“As part of our mission to offer the best care to our patients, we constantly invest in the modernisation of MedLife Group, be it through the onboarding of surgical robots, ultrasound, laboratory equipment and so on. Leveraging innovation, but also having the courage to experiment, has helped us consolidate our market leader position, at the same time contributing to the modernisation of Romanian medicine. We are proud to reinforce our status as a pioneer in the field, and to bring the future of medicine closer to the present. The success of the first flights with real samples gives us confidence in our plans outlined in this direction”, stated Mihai Marcu, CEO and Chairman of MedLife Group.

The use of drones in medical deliveries is growing worldwide- the Cleveland Clinic recently announced their own “zipline” drone system, and drone medical deliveries have already begun between remote Greek islands. MedLife’s integration of drone technology into their workflow demonstrates the growing distances over which UAV solutions can operate, and their potential to improve the capabilities of healthcare providers worldwide.

More information on MedLife and Skyy Network’s new venture can be found here.

Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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