The Ministry of Health has hosted a unprecedented roundtable with Global Aerial Logistics firm, Zipline and different world well being companions to focus on development developments in the well being sector and to advance aerial logistics integration in Ghana.
The roundtable assembly themed: “Three years of integrating aerial logistics in Ghana’s Health Supply Chain Management – Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities” is a part of a number of engagements the Ministry of Health is enterprise to take inventory of the Zipline-Government of Ghana partnership in order to discover methods of totally integrating aerial logistics into the general provide chain system of Ghana.
Three years in the past, the federal government of Ghana entered right into a service degree settlement with Zipline to facilitate the distribution of essential emergency medicine, vaccines, blood and blood merchandise to recognized well being amenities in Ghana. This settlement enabled the Ministry of Health to combine the present provide chain processes into Zipline’s system, making medical care extra accessible to well being outposts, primarily these in distant communities.
According to Mawuli Atiemo, the General Manager of Zipline Ghana, for the reason that partnership, loads has been achieved, particularly in diversifying healthcare supply buildings from counting on main hospitals and polyclinics to empowering well being outposts in extremely far-reaching communities. He indicated that greater than two-thousand 5 hundred well being amenities are benefiting from “improved medical supply chain management, healthcare delivery efficiency with the service reducing the unimaginable challenges of access to critical supplies for health delivery ”.
“Through our partnership with the government of Ghana, we have brought together our expertise and capabilities to help advance more equitable medical supplies distribution in the country. So far, we have delivered more than 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and made close to 5.9million child vaccine deliveries nationwide. These efforts, particularly in child immunization, have led to a 21-percentage point average increase in vaccine coverage in Zipline vs non-Zipline-served regions in regions like the western North. Additionally, we have reduced disease prevalence and mortality with our services”, stated Mawuli Atiemo.
Mr Atiemo stated unbiased surveys performed by credible establishments, resembling IDnsight, discovered that Zipline was meaningfully contributing to the federal government’s work to broaden healthcare supply. Key highlights from the research revealed “shortened vaccine stock outs by 60% and decreased inventory-driven missed vaccination opportunities by 42%, Decreased days facilities were without critical medical supplies by 21%, Increased the types of medicines and supplies stocked at health facilities by 10%”.
Interacting with the media on the session, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari, recommended Zipline for supporting the Health Ministry in reaching a number of well being outcomes for the reason that Fly-to-save a life initiative started. He added that aerial logistics had change into obligatory due to the numerous gaps it addresses, subsequently, there was the necessity to broaden its development in Ghana, starting with the event of an Aerial Logistic Policy.
“We have achieved much with Zipline since we engaged their services in April 2019. The number of miles they have flown to deliver health commodities to nurses and doctors in remote communities on short notice has saved many lives. When the rains cut off the Daboya area, the Zipline technology was used to transport anti-snake venom, child vaccines and other supplies. Communities that were difficult to access by road received instant deliveries within 25 minutes of request. Drones are doing more than just healthcare delivery in the world; it is why we are developing a general Aerial logistics policy that will ensure that drones are regulated to support the delivery of other logistics commodities,” – stated Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari.
Zipline has marked an unimaginable development enlargement in Ghana because it began operations in 2019. From an preliminary distribution centre, it has added 5 extra working websites servicing authorities hospitals in far-reaching areas.
