Drone medical deliveries to communities without doctors irrational – Ghana Medical Assoc.

The Ghana Medical Association has questioned the rationale behind government’s decision to have the drone delivery service implemented even when adequate preparations have not been made for its smooth implementation.

Dr. Titus Beyuo deputy general secretary of the association said government should have rather focused on recruiting more doctors into the service, provide logistics and equipment’s that will enhance the work of the medical personnel’s, among other things before mooting the idea of drone delivery service.

According to him, although the initiative is a laudable one, weightier matters confronting the health sector must be looked at first, before any other interventions.

He told Kasapa News that even with most of the districts the drone service is expected to deliver blood and other medications to, there are no doctors there to administer either the drug or medicine to the patients.

“We should look at issues that are confronting our sector before the drone thing. I’m not saying the drone is not important, it is, but all what we are saying is that government should have first looked at the primary and secondary needs of the health sector” he said.

He added: “Even with most of the districts, it will be difficult for the drone service to have an impact because, the issue is there are no doctors in those districts to either make a request or administer the blood. The health professionals there are not trained to do that, so let get our priorities right”.

Meanwhile, government says it is shocked at what it describes as the inconsistent position of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) towards the implementation of the drone delivery services.

Addressing Journalists in Accra on Wednesday, Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide stated that the GMA’s, u-turn is surprising.

“The Vice President announced to the Ghana Medical Association government’s intention to roll out the project as part of efforts to ensure effective healthcare delivery. The Ghana Medical Association welcomed the decision by government and to quote the General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Justice Yankson’s reaction to the announcement and I quote…”Well, as for us as an Association on countless occasions we’ve bemoaned the state of emergency medical service in the country so if efforts are being made by the government to ensure we strengthen that aspect of our healthcare delivery then we say kudos.”

“Government is taken aback at the current situation of the GMA when it says and I quote… “the proposed services to be provided by the drones do not conform to the primary healthcare policy in Ghana.”