Don't politicize drone delivery service - Akufo Addo advises Ghanaians

President Akufo-Addo has advised Ghanaians not to politicize the drone delivery service introduced in the health sector.

According to President, Ghanaians should not play party politics with healthcare issues in the country.

Drone delivery service was introduced in the country in April 2019. Initially, when introduced a section of the public including opposition NDC described the initiative as a misplaced priority and a threat to the privacy of citizens.

Today, October 10, 2019, President Akufo Addo commissioned Ghana’s newest medical drone delivery base in the city of Mampong during a tour of the Ashanti region.

The service which will operate 24 hours a day,7 days a week is expected to improve healthcare delivery in the area.

During the commissioning of the zipline drone centre at Asante Mampong in the Ashanti Region President Akufo Addo urged Ghanaians to fully embrace the project today, October 10 2019

“When we said we were going to use drones to deliver essential medical health products, the naysayers said it was not possible; Today, many of us are seeing how impactful this service has been just within the past five months of its operations,” said Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Every single life in this country is precious. Every mother, every child, every parent, every person. We must do everything within our means to ensure that each and every citizen of Ghana has access to the quality healthcare they deserve.”

He indicated that: ''We cannot afford to play politics with everything in this country. The excessive politicization of all issues does no credit to Ghanaian politics. When zipline is called to supply blood products during emergency situations it does not ask if the recipient is NDC or NPP member before doing so. Health, like other aspects of our national life, knows no party colours''.

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This marks the second of what will be four medical drone delivery bases that have been commissioned to help expand access to critical and life-saving medicines for people across Ghana.

Zipline, a California-based robotics company, operates the medical drone delivery service with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UPS Foundation and other partners.

Like the facility in Omenako, the Mampong operation uses drones to make on-demand and emergency deliveries of 12 routine and emergency vaccines as well as 148 blood products and critical medicines.

Omenako is now serving 52 health facilities with many more expected to be added over the coming weeks, as new routes are approved, and facilities are trained. By April of 2020, all four bases will make up to 600 on-demand delivery flights a day on behalf of the Government of Ghana to close to 2,000 health facilities across the country.

 The Global Problem Access to vital health products around the world is hampered by the last mile problem: the difficulty of matching the supply of medicine from central storage to the demand at urban and rural health facilities.

All too often, people requiring life-saving care do not get the medicine they need when they need it. Zipline’s medical drone delivery system is designed to eliminate this problem.

To increase access and reduce medical waste, key stock of blood products, vaccines, and lifesaving medications are stored at Zipline’s base for just-in-time delivery. Health workers place orders by text message or call and promptly receive their deliveries in 30 minutes on average.

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Meanwhile, the third drone delivery base will launch later this year and the fourth soon after that.