Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has raised concerns about the operations of drone delivery service Zipline Ghana, revealing that the service has been transporting non-emergency items rather than focusing on its primary mandate.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, the Minister noted, “The services were to concentrate on hard-to-reach areas and emergency services, but upon review of the activities, the hard-to-reach areas constitute only 12% of their activities, and emergency services constitute only 4% of their activities.”
He provided details of the items being transported, which include condoms, blood-donor cards, mosquito nets, food and nutrition items, adhesive tapes, syringes and needles, and educational materials such as textbooks and uniforms.
“It will interest you to know some of the items they fly… We think that there must be value for money, therefore we are engaging them,” Mintah Akandoh added, highlighting the need to ensure that the service aligns with its intended focus on critical medical and emergency deliveries.
