The world’s largest medical drone delivery service, Zipline, has been able to deliver over 5 million health supplies since its launch in Ghana in 2019.
The service uses drones to make deliveries to various parts of the country.
A tour at Zipline’s Omenako distribution center saw how the supplies are made ready to be flown to their various destinations.
In this week’s episode of Biztech, GhanaWeb Business’ Stella Dziedzorm Sogli took a tour of the facility.
A flight operations officer, Micheal Owusu, outlined the various processes the supplies go through to be delivered to their various destinations.
Also in this episode, the Chief Executive of Zipline, Mawuli Atiemo, highlighted the successes Zipline has chalked in revolutionizing the healthcare sector in Ghana as it marked 4 years of its existence in Ghana.
Speaking during the 4th-anniversary celebration of the company at its Omenako distribution center on June 1, 2023, he said “Since our launch in April 2019, the partnership has made significant strides in revolutionizing the healthcare sector in Ghana.
“Our cutting-edge drone technology has enabled us to deliver essential medical supplies, including COVID-19 immunizations, blood products, animal health commodities, and other life-saving drugs, to 2700 health facilities throughout the country. In doing so, we have positively impacted the lives of over an astounding 20 million people,” Atiemo noted.
He highlighted the feats that the drone delivery service has achieved so far.
“To date, Zipline has completed an impressive 370,000 deliveries of medical products, blood supplies, vaccines, and animal health commodities. Our proudest achievement lies in the delivery of almost 11 million life-saving vaccines, ensuring that Ghanaians have seamless access to crucial immunizations.
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Minister of Health, Mahama Asei Seini, underscored the importance of private-public partnerships and the need to embrace more innovations from the private sector.
He urged Zipline to broaden its scope to ensure that other sectors including fertilizers, seedlings, pesticides, etc also benefit from the drone services.
Virginia Palmer, the US Ambassador to Ghana praised Zipline’s efforts in creating employment opportunities for over 200 young Ghanaians.
Zipline’s medical drone delivery service is currently operating in other African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Cote D’Ivoire, and also in the United States of America.
Watch the full interview below