Zipline medical drones deployed to flood-affected areas of the North

The General Manager of Zipline Ghana, Mr Daniel Marfo has disclosed that drones carrying essential medical supplies have been deployed to flood-prone communities in Northern Ghana.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the Vobsi medical drone delivery Centre, Mr Marfo said Zipline is using that facility to deliver essential medical supplies to health facilities in some of the Northern belt areas of Ghana.

“Several other communities such as Sakogu and Fumbisi, who during the rainy season have no access to medicines because of the state of their roads, for the first time in years, now have access to blood and medical products from our delivery site. As at 12 pm on Saturday, the Vobsi centre had already delivered 40 packages these cut-off areas, for that day only,” Mr Marfo said.

The Vobsi Centre, which is already in operation was officially commissioned by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday, September 12, 2020.

Movements in parts of the North East region have been restricted due to floods caused by weeks of torrential rains coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

He also disclosed that Gbintiri and Zorko health centres are two examples of communities which without the services of the Zipline drone would not have access to medical supplies as they have been cut off.

Mr Marfo also stated that Zipline has delivered a total of 122,000 units of medical commodities, including blood to over 1,000 health facilities across all four distribution centres in the country using the technology.

The company, he noted, has also delivered COVID-19 samples, sanitizers and PPE to testing centres as well as some health centres in the country during the COVID-19 lockdown period.