Nearly a year after launching the second medical drone distribution centre at Mpanya in the Ashanti Region, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the fourth medical drone distribution centre of Zipline in Sefwi Wiawso, in the Western-North Region.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, September 24, 2020, President Akufo-Addo said, “the launch of the fourth medical drone distribution centre, is part of our broader commitment to expanding the reach of this service, and ensuring that we do not leave anyone behind in access to essential medicines. By this, it means that we now have the biggest medical drone delivery service in the whole world.
“I am told over that some one hundred and twenty thousand (120,000) medical products have been delivered to several health facilities across the country from the various distribution centres. With the coming on stream of this fourth centre at Sefwi Wiawso, Zipline will be able to serve about two thousand (2,000) health facilities within their range,” he said.
Citing the example of one Charles Coffie, a 44-year-old driver in the Eastern Region, for example, who was saved by the supply of emergency blood products after he suffered severe bleeding during an operation, the President stated that “this is the kind of impact we are talking about”.
He also noted that in the early days of the country’s fight against COVID-19, medical drones were engaged to expedite the transportation of samples to laboratory centres across the country.
“We have also heard very positive stories from health practitioners of the various health facilities benefiting from this project,” he said.
With the coming on-stream of the fourth distribution centre, Zipline now has the capability of serving about 2,000 health facilities within their range.
The President was excited that the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service and other key stakeholders have already initiated discussions with Zipline towards the possibility of expanding the drone services to other deprived and hard-to-reach communities.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
