Deal will see drones deliver medical supplies between Oakville, Milton hospitals

Hospitals in Oakville and Milton have signed a deal with a Canadian drone company to have medical supplies and samples delivered between them.

Halton Healthcare has entered a six-month, $50,000 agreement with Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) to have its drones establish a new two-way transportation link from Milton District Hospital to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.

In the deal done with the assistance of Air Canada in late September, DDC’s patented drones will make 26 flights and help improve the efficiency of overall healthcare operations.

This will mark the first official commercial route for the Canary RPA (drone). It will carry a variety of critical medical supplies between the two hospitals including but not limited to blood and serum chemistry tests, blood bank materials, urine cultures, small cytology containers with formalin and blood culture bottles.

“The potential for using drones to transport medical supplies in healthcare is profound,” said Hilary Rodrigues, Senior Vice President Corporate Services, Performance & Chief Financial Officer, Halton Healthcare. “This innovative project explores ways to be more responsive to the care needs of our patients, families, and communities.

“With this project, we are embracing the future of healthcare services, one drone delivery at a time.”

DDC will further improve efficiency by making use of the existing heliport at Milton District Hospital. It will reconfigure DDC’s DroneSpot™ technology and infrastructure to work with the heliport.

By reducing transportation times and enhancing the security of medical samples, DDC said it is helping hospitals take a crucial step toward more efficient and reliable healthcare services.

overall, proud to partner once again with Halton Healthcare to continue to make inroads in the healthcare segment and demonstrate the benefits of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (“RPAS”) and their ability to benefit the healthcare market overall with positive outcomes for patient care,” said Steve Magirias, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.