Topolšica - The Topolšica Hospital and the Slovenian national postal company Pošta Slovenije jointly presented the possibility of delivering blood samples by drone on Tuesday. According to the hospital's director Jurij Šorli, they see drone transport as a safe and fast way to deliver analysis samples and thus speed up treatment.

After conducting the first test flight with a drone at the beginning of June and successfully delivering a parcel to the Postman's Lodge on the Vršič Pass, Pošta Slovenije is continuing its planned activities to develop drone delivery within the framework provided by the new EU legislation.

The final stage of another test drone flight was carried out at Topolšica Hospital on Tuesday, as part of a trial delivery of blood samples from the Nazarje Health Centre to the Topolšica Hospital laboratory.

As the largest logistics operator in the country, Pošta Slovenije said that it wanted to bring the whole field of drone technologies to a point where it will be able to commercially carry out the most diverse types of deliveries in a safe, fast and reliable manner.

"Despite the legislative, organisational and technological challenges we will surely face along the way, we are determined to be among the first in the EU to prepare everything necessary for the use of drones under the new European legislation," said Tomaž Kokot, interim director general of Pošta Slovenije.

At the presentation on Tuesday, he also revealed that a consortium of several state-owned companies is currently being established, companies which are already using drone technology for their own needs and recognise the benefits of new technological delivery options.

The presentation was also attended by the Health Ministry State Secretary Franc Vindišar, who said that the project was proof of progress and modernisation in the field of logistics and transport.

"Equal accessibility for all users of the healthcare system is difficult to achieve, given the geographical characteristics of Slovenia. The distance from urban centres and the infrastructure sometimes pose a major problem. With the help of drones, we can bring the system closer to its users," Vindišar said in his address.