Salutations
It gives me great pleasure to join you here at Nyangbo Sroe as we take another giant step in the overall improvement of healthcare delivery in Ghana.
We have chosen this specific location, particularly because we want to have a real feel of how the Zipline technology is able to directly deliver to the last mile, making way for the equitable distribution of medical supplies to all parts of the country.
Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to begin by extending a huge appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Health, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Directors at the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, Fly to Save a life Committee members and of course to Zipline for the level of work that has been done for the last three years or so since we took the bold decision to adopt this technology in delivering medical supplies to all, especially, those in areas such as we find ourselves today – Nyangbo Sroe.
At the start of operations of Zipline in April 2019, there was skepticism about what all this is about and what it can do to the lives of Ghanaians. From a single distribution hub, you have by your hard work, added five more distribution centres, delivering medical commodities to over 2,000 health facilities and saving millions of lives.
Again, when the world was hit by the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, and all countries were challenged by the difficulties of even distribution of vaccines, the Zipline drones came in handy. My understanding is that close to one million COVID-19 vaccines have so far been delivered by Zipline to many of the health facilities across the country. This, no doubt, is one of the contributing factors for which reason we have not experienced massive expiration of the vaccines as happened in many other countries.
By this also, Ghana has become the only country in the entire world to use drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to dosing centers with the hope of ensuring that all citizens get the opportunity to be vaccinated. This is by no means an easy achievement.
COVID-19 still remains a sad tale of pain and anguish for us as leaders of the country and we are still not out of the woods yet. However, since we first recorded the first COVID-19 case, our health workers have shown their commitment and undying love for this country. I convey the appreciation of the good people of Ghana for their dedication and patriotism even at the peril of their lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our health sector remains an essential part of shaping our economic growth. Our ability to minimize infant and maternal mortality, improve life expectancy and keep a nation healthy and increase our workforce contribute to drive economic growth.
Many of us may not realize that development and prosperity require investments in training and capacity building, in physical infrastructure, equipment and technology. We cannot expect to achieve sustained life expectancy when access to healthcare appears to be the preserve of a few.
Concerns for access to quality health delivery in our rural areas reveal the discrimination and inequality of our health system. The lack of equal access to healthcare depending on where one lives in the country undermines our sense of equity and tells us that even life expectancy may be different depending on where one lives in the country. We aspire to be a better country than that. And drone delivery is helping us achieve that objective.
When the government, led by the ever-hardworking President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, satisfied itself with the knowledge behind Zipline’s innovation and how it will improve access to vital medical supplies, we became interested and more eager to ensure that the good people of Ghana benefit from this innovation.
When I look at the tremendous success since 2019, I can only thank God for the foresight and the bold decision to move forward with this project. I am sure by now even the ardent critics of the innovation have come to terms with the benefits of this project. Never again should we allow ourselves to be divided by politics when discussing the health of our people.
From Omenako to Mpanya, Vobsi to Sefwi Wiawso, and now Anum to Kete Krachi; Zipline drones have been almost everywhere, flying over hills and valleys to bring healthcare closer to the people. Since Zipline started the drone deliveries, the challenges of travelling for vaccine inoculation and the delay in vaccine delivery have been resolved.
I have been informed that as at the end of February 2022, Zipline has made more than 1.4 million deliveries of life-saving medical products, consisting of over 700,000 medical products, more than 5,000 blood products and over 700,000 child immunization vaccines.
Aside these, other medical supplies like blood, anti-snake venom and PPEs have been transported with ease to government health facilities within the period.
Also importantly, over 300 high quality jobs have been created, and I am happy to say that all the distribution centers are manned 100% by Ghanaians. Other countries have asked for Ghanaian staff to help set up and train their staff before they begin the service. Indeed, the United States has asked for a Ghanaian Zipline staff to come help them set up the necessary systems before they start theirs.
Beyond the immediate benefits of drone delivery of vaccines and essential medical products to recipients, is the improvement in the management and distribution of medical supplies from the various central storage facilities. The issues of wastage, unaccounted for medications, poor disbursement records, expiry of medications have reduced substantially, and we now have a robust structure that can be appraised and monitored.
This additional distribution hub at Anum and Kete Krachi, I understand, will serve all health facilities within the Afram Plains areas and many other hard-to-reach communities in almost all parts of Volta Region and most parts of the Eastern Region.
With the Volta Lake sometimes posing transportation challenges for health workers, the hope of many people depends on how the delivery service will promote the seamless transportation of medical essentials for emergency and re-supply situations for health centers around the river communities. And of course, mountainous areas such as Nyangbo Sroe, will definitely benefit from direct delivery of medical supplies from Zipline.
Truly, the beauty of our democracy is manifested when citizens benefit from the outcomes of good governance by way of interventions, policies and programmes that give meaning to their electoral choices.
Today’s event is another testament of the government’s pledge to reach everyone in the provision of basic healthcare needs, especially in the campaign for universal healthcare delivery system of the country.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at my meeting with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana somewhere in 2020, I encouraged the pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of Ghana’s presence on the African Continental Trade Agreement (AfCTA). I challenged them to look into innovative ways of adopting technology in the dispensation of medication.
I am happy to announce today that following a ceremony held late last year, we launched the policy and guidelines for the National E-Pharmacy programme as part of Government’s ongoing efforts to improve access to and delivery of health care to Ghanaians.
For us as a government, any move that will make our country the center of medical excellence on the African continent is of high priority to us. I encourage all of us, including corporate institutions to come on board to support initiatives of this nature, in either cash or kind.
The singular successes of you, Zipline, in Ghana, I am sure, is what has paved the way for the drastic expansion you are experiencing in the world. I have seen media reports of your exploits in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Japan and the USA. This is impressive!
And now on behalf of the President of the Republic, I declare the distribution centre of Zipline in Anum and Kete Krachi jointly launched.
I thank You for your attention.
May God bless us all and God bless our homeland Ghana.
