An innovative medical drone is poised to revolutionise the lives of millions in Australia.
An innovative project is underway to create medical drones that can transport vital health services to rural and remote areas of Australia. These drones aim to provide essential medical assistance that would typically be offered by a GP.
Approximately seven million individuals reside in rural and remote areas of Australia, accounting for 28 percent of the overall population, which amounts to around 7.3 million people. Kija man Aiden Martin, 38, from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region, expressed his optimism about the Wildu Aero project and its potential to improve health outcomes in his community.
“When working as an Aboriginal healthcare worker we had to send pathology specimens on the greyhound bus that used to travel 10 hours to Broome and we didn’t get the results back until the following week,” Martin said.
“This is something that is still happening today.
“Our community faces plenty of health issues, including renal failure and diabetes.
“Patients have to move out of town for treatments like dialysis because we don’t have any dialysis centre or anything like that.
“They miss home and their families while undergoing those treatments.”
Rural and remote regions of Australia face significant challenges in accessing healthcare services, making them some of the most vulnerable and underserved areas in the country.
Ischemic heart disease is the primary cause of death in all remote regions of Australia, followed closely by diabetes, as stated in the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service 2022 report.
According to the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service 2022 report, Indigenous Australians living in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory combined face significantly higher risks of mortality compared to non-Indigenous Australians. They are 5.2 times more likely to die from diabetes, 3.3 times more likely to die from chronic lower respiratory disease, 2.6 times more likely to die from malignant lung cancers, 2.6 times more likely to die from intentional self-harm, and 2.5 times more likely to die from ischaemic heart disease.
The Wildu Aero project was launched on 22 April in collaboration with the University of Sydney and ASAC Consultancy, a consultancy focused on addressing health inequalities in the field of health and aged care.
“A few years ago while consulting in remote and rural regions of Australia my team and I witnessed serious health inequities,” Founding Director of ASAC Consultancy Anna Klis said.
“We saw patients passing away from basic infections, such as sepsis, that if treated in a timely manner would resolve with minimal interventions.
“We witnessed patients having to travel three to five days for a basic blood test.
“Essential services such as treatments and medications are also unable to be delivered due to the far distances.
“So from there, the idea of using drone technology was conceived.”
Klis contacted Associate Professor Dries Verstraete at the University of Sydney, a renowned expert in aeronautical engineering and hydrogen fuel cell propulsion. Professor Verstraete and his team are developing a drone using cutting-edge unscrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) technology that is powered by hydrogen and emits zero emissions, ensuring its environmental sustainability. A medical drone will provide necessary health services, including pathology, treatments, medications, and telehealth services, to rural and remote areas of Australia.
“We are hoping to get a proof of concept in the next six months and then do some initial flight testing within the year,” Professor Verstraete said.
Co-design discussions are currently taking place with health organisations in remote regions across Western Australia, with the objective of extending to all states and territories, including the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales.
“As an aeronautical engineer it is not often that you have the opportunity to have an impact on the quality of life in rural and remote Australia,” Professor Verstraete said.
“That is why this project stands out for me.”
Klis has a particularly personal connection to the project.
“My son is Aboriginal and several years ago I lost my late partner to cardiovascular disease when he was 38 years old,” she said.
“So this a project that is very close to my heart.”