Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has said Zipline drones have undertaken 278,936 flights since their inception.
He said this has made over 12 million deliveries, comprising of 8.63 million lifesaving medical products or medicines, about 1.9 million child immunization vaccine consumables and over 1.9 million COVID-19 vaccines and PPEs.
The Vice President made the disclosure while speaking on “The Role of Digitalization in Modern Healthcare Delivery: Recounting Ghana’s ICT Journey in the Fourth Republic” in Tamale at the launch of the National Health Insurance Authority’s ‘Active Month celebrations.
According to the Vice President, It has also made very significant savings for the nation, both in lives and resources.
The vice president noted that Ghana’s medical drone delivery service is the largest in the world and saves many lives daily.
Zipline is an American company that designs, manufactures, and operates delivery drones.
The company operates distribution centres in Rwanda, Ghana, Japan, and the United States, with signed agreements to begin service in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Kenya.
The company has six centres in Ghana so far and they are located in Omenako, Mpanya, Vobsi to Sefwi Wiawso, and now Anum to Kete Krachi.
The two new Centres, at Anum and Kete Krachi, are serving all health facilities within the Afram Plains areas and many other hard-to-reach communities in almost all parts of the Volta Region, most parts of the Eastern Region, and parts of the Oti and Savannah regions, ensuring almost total national coverage.
The Country Manager of Zipline Ghana, Naa Adorkor Yawson, disclosed that after three years of service to over 2,300 health facilities in 147 districts in 13 regions, the company would, later this year, begin home delivery services, to make speedy access to essential medications even easier.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kofi Atakora