By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
Can you imagine falling sick and needing a blood transfusion in the remotest village of Ghana, inaccessible due to unmotorable roads and no blood left at its only facility?
I guess it took you a minute to really imagine how dire and serious that would be. Since the inception of operations in Ghana during 2019, Zipline has been conducting delivery of\xa0 life-saving medical supplies to health facilities across the country.
Medical products – including blood, plasma, medicines and vaccines – are stored at Zipline’s 6 distribution centres and sent quickly to hospitals and clinics across 14 regions, covering 165 districts.
This aerial delivery network covers 65 percent of Ghana, lessening the time that would have been spent sending the medical supplies by road. Some of Zipline’s distribution centres are located in Omenako, Mampong, Kukua, Sefwi Wiawso and Walewale, serving the country’s northern parts.
Speaking exclusively to B&FT, Country Director-Zipline Ghana Daniel Kwaku Merki said only two additonal centres must be constructed to achieve 100 percent coverage in Ghana. However, he indicated that is not in focus now – stressing, “we want to focus more on deepening integration”.
Health workers in remote community clinics can get emergency medical supplies delivered within record time just by placing an order. Health facilities which would have ordinarily been inaccessible via road or taken long hours to reach can be reached in about 40 minutes.
The drones deliver within a radius of 100 km around a distribution centre. One delivery can take up to 40 minutes.
Zipline has revolutionised healthcare delivery in Ghana, positioning the country as a global leader in autonomous drone logistics.
Mr Merki noted this innovation is doing more than just delivering medicine; it’s reshaped patient behavior and helped bridge the development divide between Northern and Southern Ghana.
“Globally, we are ahead – far advanced. Zipline is the largest autonomous delivery system in the world and Ghana has done a very significant portion of that,” Mr. Merki said, stressing that Ghana is keeping pace with technological advancement the world is experiencing.
However, Mr. Merki explained that the company cannot attribute its market leadership in Ghana to only itself\xa0 but also robust collaboration between the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Ghana Air Force, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and National Blood Service. “It’s not just about Zipline. We couldn’t deploy if the Civil Aviation Authority hadn’t done their homework,” he said.
He emphasised that technology is of no use if it doesn’t translate into tangible human impact, pointing to a study in the Ashanti Region which revealed a 56.4 percent reduction in maternal deaths at health facilities serviced by Zipline.
He also noted that there has been a shift in patient behaviour driven by the reliability Zipline helps to create at health facilities across the country. “This doesn’t just come from medical essentials being delivered by a drone. What happened is now the women understood that when they go to hospital, they will get their medication or blood products. So, they have started go to hospitals more often,” he added.
Considering the development gap between urban and rural areas, Mr. Merki argued that building roads and traditional supply chains to every remote village would be a monumental task, whereas a single Zipline distribution centre can serve an area of 40,000 square kilometres.
“The effects are very comprehensive. It’s societies which have the least access that benefits most from these technological advancements,” he noted.
He explained that a person in Accra central may have easy access to a pharmacy, but a community separated by rivers and poor roads now has the same guaranteed access to vital health commodities, thanks to Zipline Ghana.
Despite the progress, Mr. Merki cautioned\xa0 that the technology’s full potential is yet to be realised. He maintained that integrating a just-in-time drone delivery system into the health sector – which was traditionally supplied by bulk truck deliveries – is a step in the right direction but requires Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and data analysis to achieve revolutionary results.
“You need to change your systems in order to really reap the full benefits,” he stated, calling for deeper collaboration and a clear, data-driven vision from health sector leaders.
“Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to find ways and means of providing that acces. Let’s drive development through innovation, technology and collaboration,” he emphasised.
Zipline Ghana is a subsidiary of Zipline International Inc, an American company that designs, manufactures and operates delivery drones. Zipline is the world’s largest autonomous delivery system. The company operates distribution centres and specialises in on-demand drone delivery and instant logistics.
By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
Can you imagine falling sick and needing a blood transfusion in the remotest village of Ghana, inaccessible due to unmotorable roads and no blood left at its only facility?
I guess it took you a minute to really imagine how dire and serious that would be. Since the inception of operations in Ghana during 2019, Zipline has been conducting delivery of\xa0 life-saving medical supplies to health facilities across the country.
Medical products – including blood, plasma, medicines and vaccines – are stored at Zipline’s 6 distribution centres and sent quickly to hospitals and clinics across 14 regions, covering 165 districts.
This aerial delivery network covers 65 percent of Ghana, lessening the time that would have been spent sending the medical supplies by road. Some of Zipline’s distribution centres are located in Omenako, Mampong, Kukua, Sefwi Wiawso and Walewale, serving the country’s northern parts.
Speaking exclusively to B&FT, Country Director-Zipline Ghana Daniel Kwaku Merki said only two additonal centres must be constructed to achieve 100 percent coverage in Ghana. However, he indicated that is not in focus now – stressing, “we want to focus more on deepening integration”.
Health workers in remote community clinics can get emergency medical supplies delivered within record time just by placing an order. Health facilities which would have ordinarily been inaccessible via road or taken long hours to reach can be reached in about 40 minutes.
The drones deliver within a radius of 100 km around a distribution centre. One delivery can take up to 40 minutes.
Zipline has revolutionised healthcare delivery in Ghana, positioning the country as a global leader in autonomous drone logistics.
Mr Merki noted this innovation is doing more than just delivering medicine; it’s reshaped patient behavior and helped bridge the development divide between Northern and Southern Ghana.
“Globally, we are ahead – far advanced. Zipline is the largest autonomous delivery system in the world and Ghana has done a very significant portion of that,” Mr. Merki said, stressing that Ghana is keeping pace with technological advancement the world is experiencing.
However, Mr. Merki explained that the company cannot attribute its market leadership in Ghana to only itself\xa0 but also robust collaboration between the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Ghana Air Force, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and National Blood Service. “It’s not just about Zipline. We couldn’t deploy if the Civil Aviation Authority hadn’t done their homework,” he said.
He emphasised that technology is of no use if it doesn’t translate into tangible human impact, pointing to a study in the Ashanti Region which revealed a 56.4 percent reduction in maternal deaths at health facilities serviced by Zipline.
He also noted that there has been a shift in patient behaviour driven by the reliability Zipline helps to create at health facilities across the country. “This doesn’t just come from medical essentials being delivered by a drone. What happened is now the women understood that when they go to hospital, they will get their medication or blood products. So, they have started go to hospitals more often,” he added.
Considering the development gap between urban and rural areas, Mr. Merki argued that building roads and traditional supply chains to every remote village would be a monumental task, whereas a single Zipline distribution centre can serve an area of 40,000 square kilometres.
“The effects are very comprehensive. It’s societies which have the least access that benefits most from these technological advancements,” he noted.
He explained that a person in Accra central may have easy access to a pharmacy, but a community separated by rivers and poor roads now has the same guaranteed access to vital health commodities, thanks to Zipline Ghana.
Despite the progress, Mr. Merki cautioned\xa0 that the technology’s full potential is yet to be realised. He maintained that integrating a just-in-time drone delivery system into the health sector – which was traditionally supplied by bulk truck deliveries – is a step in the right direction but requires Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and data analysis to achieve revolutionary results.
“You need to change your systems in order to really reap the full benefits,” he stated, calling for deeper collaboration and a clear, data-driven vision from health sector leaders.
“Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to find ways and means of providing that acces. Let’s drive development through innovation, technology and collaboration,” he emphasised.
Zipline Ghana is a subsidiary of Zipline International Inc, an American company that designs, manufactures and operates delivery drones. Zipline is the world’s largest autonomous delivery system. The company operates distribution centres and specialises in on-demand drone delivery and instant logistics.
Provided by zaianews. (zaianews.com).