By Jones Anlimah
The Government of Ghana has partnered with Zipline to provide on-demand medical delivery services to more than 3,000 health facilities nationwide. The collaboration has been hailed as a landmark breakthrough in bridging healthcare access gaps, particularly for remote and underserved communities.
Speaking during a presentation on the impact of the partnership to Journalists who toured their Anum facility in the Eastern region, Mr. Roger Frimpong, Head of Business Operations at Zipline, highlighted the scale of operations and the innovation driving the service. “We have delivered over 750,000 packages to more than 3,000 health facilities, reaching over 17 million people across Ghana,” he stated.
Mr. Frimpong explained that the system is designed to ease the logistics burden on healthcare facilities. “What we have is an infrastructure that allows government to improve their logistics system. Because we have pooled storage and warehousing, no facility we cover needs to have their own internal storage. Facilities don’t need to invest in expensive fridges or utility bills as we can deliver on demand.”
The drone-powered service has already contributed to measurable improvements in healthcare outcomes. According to Mr. Frimpong, “Our services have ensured that over 20,000 units of blood and 16.9 million doses of vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, have reached communities nationwide. One of our studies showed a decrease in maternal mortality rate of 56.4% in facilities that benefited from our service in the Ashanti Region ”
Zipline currently supports more than 6,750 life-saving deliveries annually. The company also maintains a high safety record, with delivery failures reported at fewer than one in every 10,000 flights. A coverage map presented during the session illustrated Zipline’s extensive nationwide reach, with drones dispatched daily to ensure timely deliveries, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Health officials note that the partnership has been instrumental in strengthening emergency response and promoting equitable access to healthcare services.
The initiative reflects Ghana’s commitment to leveraging innovative technology to enhance public health and deliver life-saving care to millions of Ghanaians.
