A couple of months after announcing a partnership to deploy drone technology in the delivery of medical supplies across select countries in Africa, German drone logistics company Wingcopter and fellow German medical technology company Siemens Healthineers are hitting the ground running, with a demonstration in front of the Kenyan president this past week.

In June this year, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding that will them introduce integrated drone delivery missions to transport laboratory diagnostics material as well as other medical supplies in Africa.

The two-way delivery system will see samples such as blood being transported to laboratory facilities from health centres, while medical supplies, like vaccines and pharmaceuticals move in the other direction.

And this week – in Kenya at least – significant progress was made.

“This week marked a huge milestone in our partnership with the Government of Kenya, Siemens Healthineers, Wingcopter and ElsMed Healthcare Solutions to provide Access to Care to the population of Kenya,” Sebastian Ferrari-Stanford, Head of Strategy, Middle East, Southern & East Africa at Siemens Healthineers.

“During the 10^th Kenyan Devolution Conference, we had the honour to meet with (Kenyan President) HE Dr William Samoei Ruto; key ministers and county governors to showcase our integrated Laboratory Diagnostics network utilising cutting edge drone technology to transport samples.

“During the event Dr Ruto, launched the Wingcopter drone, marking the first flight in the country and the beginning of a long and prosperous partnership with the country.”

We suppose he meant the first flight for the Wingcopter 198 insofar as this particular partnership is concerned. We believe Wingcopter has waded the Kenyan waters since around the year 2020 when it explored a partnership with local cargo drone company Astral Aerial.

Israel-based Elsmed also partnered with Wingcopter in Nakuru County when it launched drone deliveries across its facilities in March this year.

“The best of ideas and the latest of technology are not a guarantee for success, it is the commitment and dedication of the team that turns ideas into reality and this project is a perfect example of that,” Ferrari-Stanford added.

Siemens Healthineers will be responsible for the medical supply side in this partnership. The Erlangen, Germany-headquartered company provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers’ ability to provide high-quality, efficient care.

With offices in 70 countries in the world, some of which are in Africa, it also pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare by developing their product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that are important for the next generation of medical technology.

“We marked a significant milestone by showcasing our solution in Eldoret, Kenya, witnessed by President Dr. William Ruto and esteemed local representatives,” Wingcopter said.

“This demonstration was executed in collaboration with our partners from Siemens Healthineers and ElsMed Healthcare Solutions.

“We are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with all local stakeholders to improve access to sample analysis, expedite diagnoses, and facilitate prompt medical interventions for remote communities via advanced drone logistics.”