Wing drones to deliver medical supplies to hospitals in Ireland’s capital

Wing and Apian have partnered with Blackrock Health and St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Dublin along with healthcare technology company Medtronic to launch an innovative drone delivery trial demonstrating the benefits drones could offer in healthcare logistics.

The delivery service will commence with items including Medtronic’s ingestible camera, PillCam, sutures, surgical tools and heart valve repair products, with plans to expand to pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) in the future. The first deliveries will be received in the coming days by Dublin’s Blackrock Clinic, part of Blackrock Health, and St Vincent’s Private Hospital, part of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group.

This delivery of Medtronic medical supplies will be Ireland’s first ongoing medical device delivery service by drone.

Dr Caroline Whelan, CEO of Blackrock Health, commented: “We are excited by the possibilities that come with this drone delivery service, and hope to expand this beyond receiving medical supplies, by extending use to other services in time between our hospitals.”

Brian Fitzgerald, CEO, St Vincent’s Private Hospital, added: “Participating in this trial allows St Vincent’s Private Hospital to explore how integrating drone technology into our hospital can improve patient care, enhance supply chain management and enable us to operate more efficiently and sustainably.”

The initiative will start with up to 100 weekly flights. The partners are in cooperation to implement rigorous safety mechanisms and are working closely with the Irish Aviation Authority to ensure operations leverage the support and experience of the regulator and adhere to their high operational standards.