Special missions roundtable to address use of drones in HEMS

Gama Aviation’s Special Mission roundtable series will include an online discussion with drones services company Avy and ANWB Medical Air Ambulance to profile the use case for drones within HEMS operations.

The 30-minute discussion will address topics including:

• How the Avy and ANWB collaboration came about
• The applications for medical drone services
• Safety considerations
• How you should set up a trial

Mark Smith, Gama Aviation Managing Director, Special Mission, commented: “Our earlier roundtables were well received by the UK Air Ambulance community, and we wanted to explore other topics in latter events that would challenge our thinking.  The deployment of medical services using drones is one that fascinates me however we are at an early stage in the maturity of how this can be applied in the real world not least due to airspace restrictions, safety concerns, etc. However, the movement to a low carbon economy may force these developments forward.  Having Avy and ANWB share their experience with us will bring this topic alive and, I hope, generate a lively debate.”

Simon Prent, Manager Drone Operations at ANWB Medical Air Assistance, added: “As professional aviation company operating the Dutch Medical Helicopters, we see unmanned aviation as an inevitable development. Looking towards the future, we see a lot of opportunities for us and the sector. Our collaboration with Avy gives us the opportunity to make the necessary steps to prepare for an unmanned future.”

Patrique Zaman, CEO of Avy, also stated: “I was delighted to be asked by Gama Aviation’s Special Mission team to be part of this event.  We’ve been working with a number of blue light services in the Netherlands using real world case scenarios to inform a greater understanding of how we bring together technology, ground and air units to improve patient outcomes. I’m really looking forward to talking about the work Avy has collaborated with PostNL and ANWB on as well as taking questions from UK air ambulance charities who may be wary of the potential of UAS technologies.”

Tickets for the free roundtable table can be booked from the Gama Aviation website.