Swoop to develop drone network for Queensland’s Mater Group
Drone firm Swoop has partnered with the Mater Group hospital system to create an airborne logistical network for the collection of pathology samples
It will support the various inhabited islands of Moreton Bay, Queensland, allowing samples to be transported from local clinics to Mater Pathology’s testing labs up to six hours faster than by boat.
The partners will initially pursue federal support for a pilot project, via the Emerging Aviation Technology Partnership (EATP) grant provision. If successful, the project aims to begin regular operations in 2023. Further initiatives, including the potential delivery of medical supplies to old-age care homes from Mater Pharmacy, are also being explored.
The network is expected to gather over 80,000 samples each year from both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service patients, and will also serve patients from Stradbroke Island, Russell Island, Macleay Island, as well as the Redlands and Hope Island on the Gold Coast.
“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,” said Deb Hornsby, General Manager of Mater Pathology. “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 also announced strategic partnerships with UK unmanned aircraft services provider Skyports and German pharmaceutical logistics and automation firm BD Rowa in March 2022.