The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Monday launched the Anum and Kete Krachi distribution centres of Zipline Medical Services delivery system.
The distribution centres will serve Volta, Oti and parts of the eastern regions.
The two centres also have more than 100 drones that will send medical supplies to 250 health facilities in these communities.
Some of the medical supplies that the drones would send include blood, antenatal drugs, child vaccines and anti-snake venoms.
Launching the two distribution centres at NyagboSroe in the Afadjato South District, the Vice President, Bawumia, said that the government had chosen the specific location, particularly because it wanted to have a feel of how the Zipline technology was able to directly deliver to remote areas, making way for equitable distribution of medical supplies to all parts of the country.
He said the level of work done in the last three years by Zipline was commendable and since then the government took the bold decision to adopt the technology in delivering medical supplies to all, especially those in areas that were 750 metres above sea level in NyagboSroe, a mountainous area.
Dr Bawumia said in April 2019, the government introduced the technology and with hard work, from a single distribution hub, five more distribution centres were established to deliver medical supplies to over 2,000 health facilities and saving millions of lives.
He added that when the world was hit “by COVID-19 pandemic and all countries were challenged by the difficulty of distribution of vaccines, the Zipline drones came in handy to solve the problem.”
The Vice President said close to one million COVID-19 vaccines had so far been delivered by Zipline to many health facilities across the country.
He said Ghana, therefore, remained the only country in the entire world to use drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses to our health facilities, where all citizens had the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Naa Adorkor Yawson, General Manager of Zipline, in a speech, noted that the technology that started three years ago in Suhumu Omenako had now become a household thing with five additional distribution Centres at Sewfi Wiawso, Mampong in Ashanti Region, Vobsi near Walewale, Anum Boso and Kete Krachi.
She said “the event today has presented yet another opportunity to extend this technology to the people of NyagboSroe and its adjoining communities.”
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of Ghana Health Service, commended Zipline Ghana for collaborating with the government to deliver essential medications to health facilities in a very short time to save lives.
He assured that with the partnership the country would be able to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
The Minister of Railway Development, Mr Peter Amewu, appealed to the people to accept the E-Levy policy which he said when passed would help generate more income towards more projects in the area.
Ekusie Owuo IX, Chief of NyagboSroe, in his welcome remarks, commended the government for bring the new technology to his people, which he said would improve health delivery system in the area.
Present at the function were the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa, Member of Parliament of the area, Madam Angela Alorwutey, Service Commanders, Chiefs and Religious leaders.