Successful POC of Malaysia’s first-ever drone delivery in urban area

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
 
● MHS obtained the Specific UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) Project Certificate from CAAM on 1 March 2023 and valid till 29 February 2024
 
● Effort by both MHS Aviation Berhad (MHS) and Avisena Healthcare to promote the use of technology in Healthcare Segment
 
● Upskilling of Armed Forces Veterans to become Drone Pilots creating higher income generation
 
SHAH ALAM, June 12 (Bernama) -- MHS Aviation Berhad (MHS), Avisena Healthcare Sdn Bhd (Avisena) and Kreatif Apps Sdn Bhd (Kreatif Apps) embarked on a strategic collaboration on 9 June 2023 with the successful proof-of-concept (POC) for drone-flying in an urban area to provide medical related drone delivery services. This POC has shown that it is feasible to use UAS/Drone to deliver medical related items such as medication in cities and townships. 
 
During the POC flight, the drone departed from Avisena Specialist Hospital in Section 14, Shah Alam and arrived at a patient’s residence in Section 7, Shah Alam. The journey of 2.9 kilometres took approximately 6 minutes, successfully delivering medicine to a patient using UAS/Drone direct from Avisena Specialist Hospital to the patient’s house. In comparison, the driving distance between the two locations is approximately 4.1 kilometres by road and a driver would typically take approximately 11 minutes to arrive by car without taking into account the present traffic situation.
 
MHS and Avisena took steps to ensure strong connectivity to the drone, adequate protection for the medication, and ensured that safety measures and recovery procedures were in place while the drone travelled above residential area in order to safeguard the public's privacy, as well as the safety and security of this service.
 
This is not the first time Avisena has leveraged on technology to serve its patients better. In 2021, it introduced Truecare2U, a groundbreaking telehealth platform that provided comprehensive and high-quality healthcare services directly to individuals' homes. Avisena aims to incorporate drone delivery service in Avisena’s and TrueCare2U’s offerings in order to provide speedy response to their patient’s needs. 
 
The collaboration signifies support towards Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices by using the latest efficient and sustainable technologies. The application of drone in medicine delivery opens a new edge in the healthcare industry and this will create a new chain of ecosystem that is efficient and safe.
 
Encik Mohd Fakhrul Arifin Bin Adinan, Chief Executive Officer of MHS said, “We are proud to be part of this game-changing initiative to promote the use of technology in healthcare segment.”
 
“Driving innovation, choice and value has always underpinned the vision and mission of our company. We see the potential of drones as the next frontier and are set to revolutionise many industries with reduced costs and supporting environmental sustainability for the future.  
 
"Looking ahead, we intend to continue driving growth in our business by leveraging on our Core Capabilities as well as accelerate Reinventing Boustead, while continuously working closely with our other sister companies in unlocking the value of the Group.” adds Mohd Fakhrul.
 
Mohd Fakhrul also adds “MHS will continue with several stages in various locations and terrains, especially in the cities and housing area. The UAS/Drone has become an important element in many industries driving cost-effectiveness and numerous efficiencies, hence we believe this is an opportune time for us to leverage and adopt the technology in advancing our portfolios. “
 
“UAS/Drone delivery will soon become our latest logistics solution, providing a strong boost to support the ever-growing e-commerce industry. Most importantly, this innovation will allow us to create new high-tech job opportunities for Malaysians, as we can also potentially scale up to support remote areas for essential supplies during natural disasters for example. This new initiative provides an opportunity to upskill our Veterans and offer exciting new programmes for the broader community, as well as supporting the drone industry to have more qualified remote pilots in Malaysia.”
 
Echoing to Mohd Fakhrul, Encik Adi Yazid Rosli, Chief Executive Officer of Kreatif Apps, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "As a technology company specialising in UAS Digital Infrastructure platform, we are thrilled to contribute our expertise to this strategic collaboration. Our goal is to create a seamless integration between drones and existing healthcare logistics systems, ensuring secure and efficient operations. We believe that this collaboration will set new standards in healthcare delivery and pave the way for future advancements in drone technology."
 
“During the POC phase, our teams will focus on providing UAS Traffic Management System (UTMS) to monitor the airspace traffic during UAS flights including fine-tuning the operational aspects of the drone delivery system. This includes optimizing flight planning, developing robust airspace surveillance and tracking systems, implementing stringent safety protocols, and ensuring compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements. Kreatif Apps will specifically contribute its expertise in providing UAS Digital Infrastructure systems, enabling seamless integration of drones into existing healthcare logistics systems.
 
Dr Razman Abd Karim, Chief Executive Officer of Avisena Specialist Hospital said, “This POC further reinforces our vision to remain innovative and competitive at the forefront of our industry and cement our growing reputation as a one-stop healthcare provider for our community. We strive to continually provide uniquely differentiated service with an uncompromising commitment to the safety and quality of our services to our clientele. 
 
“We look forward to a strategic partnership with MHS and are excited to see how we can use this technology to further our respective goals.” 
 
Aside from the drone delivery service, both entities are collaborating on an air ambulance project where MHS will provide the aircraft and necessary ground support services for this project and Avisena will provide the medical support team onboard of the aircraft.
 
In making the POC successful, we would like to thank to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, LRT3 Sdn Bhd, Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam, Polis DiRaja Malaysia, Boustead Holdings Berhad, DJI Academy Droneskaki, Truecare2u Sdn Bhd and related agencies.
 
 
Forward looking statements
 
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial conditions, results of operations and business of the Entities and certain plans and objectives of Companies with respect to these items. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
 
 
About MHS Aviation Berhad
 
MHS Aviation Berhad (MHS), one of Malaysia's homegrown helicopter service company and currently controlled by Boustead Holdings Berhad, a member of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera. 
 
MHS operations are focused on helicopter services for oil & gas industry, general aviation and now embarking into operating unmanned aircraft system (ie. Drone).
 
MHS was incorporated in 1981 and began operations in 1983.. To date, MHS owns 11 units of helicopters and has 3 helicopter base maintenance. For more information on MHS, log on to www.mhsaviation.com.
 
For more details, please contact MHS’ Corporate Communications Department at info@mhsaviation.com.
 

About Avisena Healthcare Sdn Bhd
 
Avisena Healthcare Sdn Bhd (“Avisena”) is the operator for both Avisena Specialist Hospital and Avisena Women’s & Children’s Specialist Hospital. Elegantly designed in the heart of Shah Alam city centre, both hospitals are located in Seksyen 14. Over the years, it had quickly gained a reputation as a one-stop medical centre for all healthcare needs with 250 beds, 67 resident specialists, 91 visiting specialists, 8 operating theatres and state-of-the-art facilities and medical equipment, 7 operating theatres and a full-fledge child-friendly ICU, NICU and HDU.
 
To better cater to our growing clientele, Avisena provides a wide-range of medical services, which include advanced medical equipment for treatments, health and wellness program, diabetic unit, fertility, paediatric health and 24-hour emergency services.
 
Avisena’s healthcare business includes the recently launched renal care arm, Avisena Renal Care which includes 3 dialysis centres in the Klang Valley as well as telemedicine services under its subsidiary, TrueCare2U which provides easy and convenient access to healthcare providers and medical treatments from the comforts of their patients own home.
 
Moreover, the expansion plan for Avisena Specialist Hospital in Shah Alam and Cyberjaya will see a substantial boost in its capability to serve its increasing network and international patients. Specialities such as Oncology, Cardiology, Trauma and Sports Medicine will be developed in Shah Alam, while Cyberjaya will operate as a multidisciplinary healthcare facility. 
 
Avisena has been honoured with multiple accolades, including the GlobalHealth Awards Asia Pacific Healthcare & Hospital Awards in both 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the hospitals have been recognized with The BrandLaureate SME's Brand Champion Award, The BrandLaureate SME's Best Brand Award, The CXP Best Customer Experience Awards and Healthcare Asia Awards. Furthermore, Avisena Specialist Hospital has been accredited through the Malaysian Society Quality in Health (MSQH). This accreditation reaffirms our commitment to quality and safety of patients care. 
 
Avisena has carved out a growing reputation as a one-stop medical centre for the community and strives to continually provide uniquely differentiated service with an uncompromising commitment to service quality to our clientele. 
 
To find out more information about our healthcare, kindly visit our website at www.avisena.com.my
 
For more details, please contact Avisena Business Development & Communications Department at corporatecomm@avisena.com.my


About Kreatif Apps Sdn Bhd
 
As a MSC status company, Kreatif Apps Sdn Bhd (KASB) focuses its business in providing advanced solutions and services in Smart IoT, Smart Drone, Smart Parking, and ICT & Software Development. Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), a government agency under Ministry of Science and Technology holds equity shareholdings in KASB since 2016. 
 
Our mission is to create, enhance and distribute real-time mission critical information to provide valuable analysis and insights of digital infrastructure data with several focus on ground and airspace traffic management, smart parking guidance, software development and ICT services. Our vision is to become the leading IoT, AI and Big Data service provider in Malaysia through research and development of innovative technologies and applications, and nurturing human potential and passion to enrich people’s life. 
 
For more details, please contact Kreatif Apps’s Corporate Communications Department at info@kreatifapps.com. 

Source: Avisena Specialist Hospital 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Shazwan
Tel: 017 327 2003 
Email: m.shazwan@avisena.com.my 

--BERNAMA