MedLife, the largest private medical services network in Romania, proudly unveils its innovative drone transport system for biological laboratory samples. In partnership with Australian company Skyy Network, MedLife becomes the first private medical operator in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe utilizing drones for the seamless transport of laboratory samples. This landmark achievement positions MedLife as one of the few medical operators in Europe routinely employing drones for the delivery of biological samples over medium and long distances.
Initially, the transports will be conducted from four localities in Bihor County – Aleșd, Beiuș, Marghita, and Salonta – to Oradea and Arad. However, the company has plans to expand this project throughout Romania in the future. Notably, the route between Oradea and Arad, covering a distance of 120 km, marks the longest drone flight route for medical samples in Europe.
MedLife has partnered with Skyy Network, an Australian company specializing in manned and unmanned aviation, specifically in drone integration services and solutions for business processes. With the necessary approvals from the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority (RoCAA), the Public Health Directorate in Bihor and Arad County, as well as the Ministry of National Defence, MedLife has successfully completed flights carrying real patient samples after nearly three months of rigorous testing and preparation.
By embracing innovation and the courage to experiment, MedLife continues to uphold its mission of providing the best care to patients. The integration of surgical robots, ultrasound, laboratory equipment, and now the use of drones, has solidified MedLife’s position as a market leader in Romania while driving the modernization of Romanian medicine. Mihai Marcu, CEO and Chairman of MedLife Group, stated, “We are proud to reinforce our status as a pioneer in the field, and to bring the future of medicine closer to the present.”
The introduction of the drone transport system has proven to be a game-changer for MedLife. The average flight time for transferring samples between collection points is approximately 19-28 minutes each way, reducing the overall transportation time by more than 50% compared to traditional ground transportation. The drones, operating at a speed of approximately 122 km/h, exhibit exceptional efficiency in collecting and delivering samples, resulting in same-day availability of test results for 76% of MedLife’s laboratory tests.
Dr. Robert Beke, Executive Director of the Laboratory Division of MedLife Group, highlighted the positive impact of the new transport system, stating, “With the lowering of the sample delivery duration, avoiding delays generated by traffic, and increasing the number of samples that we can process, we can guarantee our patients the rapid delivery of results for a broad spectrum of laboratory services. In fact, patients will receive same-day results for most tests.”
Powered by cutting-edge technology, MedLife’s transport system utilizes three Swoop Aero Kite drones equipped with state-of-the-art software. The drones are fully autonomous, with a single pilot able to monitor multiple drones simultaneously. Human intervention is only required for loading and unloading samples. Skyy Network has provided comprehensive training and certification for the local medical teams responsible for handling the drones at collection points and the MedLife laboratories in Oradea and Arad.
Rory Houston, CEO and Co-Founder of Skyy Network, expressed his satisfaction in bringing this groundbreaking transport system to Romania, emphasizing the positive impact on the quality of life for Romanian patients.
Looking ahead, MedLife has plans to extend its drone transport system nationwide. The company aims to include collection points in Arad, Hunedoara, Mehedinți, Gorj, Timiș, and Caraș-Severin counties, effectively replacing ground transportation vehicles for the transfer of samples between these locations. Additionally, MedLife plans to diversify its product range for air transport, encompassing essential medical supplies, medicines, and biological products, ensuring expedited delivery within its network and the public healthcare system.
With this pioneering initiative, MedLife reinforces its commitment to revolutionizing healthcare logistics in Romania and exemplifies its role as a forward-thinking leader in the future of medicine.
Market Capital Research 