Heaven sent: Drones promise to sling pathology from the skies
Drones may soon be shuttling pathology samples from the Moreton Bay islands to mainland testing labs in a move hailed as an Australian-first.
Drones may soon have their wings clipped as part of new laws proposed by the Queensland Government. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
The partnership between Mater Pathology and drone logistics company Swoop Aero promises to slash waiting times for test results, particularly vital blood samples and Covid swabs.
Mater Pathology estimates it will collect more than 80,000 pathology samples a year from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service patients on Stradbroke Island, as well as other patients across Russell Island, Macleay Island, the Redlands and Hope Island on the Gold Coast.
The latest plan comes after Swoop Aero started flying pharmacy medicines to remote patients in the Goondiwindi region last year.
Mater Pathology general manager Deb Hornsby said the drone service had the potential to underpin a “giant leap” in how essential supplies and services were delivered in Queensland.
“Depending on ferry services, it can take up to six hours to get samples for testing back to Mater from Straddie and the other islands,” she said.
“With the huge increase in testing caused by Covid, there was a pressing need to speed up our collection services – and that’s when we approached Swoop Aero.
“Drones are safe, reliable and so much faster than ferries and cars – which means we save valuable time in diagnosing and treating vulnerable patients.”
Swoop Aero’s fleet of aircraft will travel distances of more than 175 kilometres on a single battery charge across southeast Queensland, carrying just over four kilograms of medical cargo.
Swoop Aero drones operate well below commercial aircraft altitudes and flight path approvals will be obtained from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
The drones would land in Greater Springfield for testing in the Mater Pathology laboratories at Mater Private Hospital Springfield.
“We have a big vision for Queensland,” said Eric Peck, Swoop Aero’s CEO.
“By leveraging the most advanced technology-based platform on the market, Swoop Aero will unlock the skies to enable Mater to drive forward the next era of pathology transportation.”
Mater and Swoop Aero are seeking federal support for the pilot project through an Emerging Aviation Technology Partnership (EATP) grant.
If successful, drones will be flying across Moreton Bay in 2023 and future initiatives could include the delivery of medicines to aged care homes by Mater Pharmacy.
