Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, the former Minister of Health, has warned the John Mahama-led government against the cancellation of the Zipline drone delivery system.
The former Minister of Health cautioned political actors against attempts to ridicule and undermine the Zipline.
According to Okoe Boye, politicising Zipline can endanger the lives of remote communities that depend on emergency medical deliveries.
The former Health Minister defended the Zipline drone delivery as one of the fastest lifelines for health facilities that lack critical medical supplies.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday, November 28, Dr Okoe Boye explained, “If a centre does not have a blood-related product and needs it urgently, when you WhatsApp Zipline, they will fly with the stock they have and drop the vaccine at the hospital compound”.
“By doing this, you save time calling people. If you have to drive five hours, it could be done by Zipline in 25 minutes.”
He added, “This talk is an attempt to ridicule the whole project and throw it away. Sometimes, too much politics can endanger lives”.
“The essence of a politician or a leader is not to rest and make yourself comfortable but to work so hard that those far away from you can receive some help when they need it most,” he added.
Oko Boye’s remarks follow, Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader in parliament, who has boldly declared that the former government’s contract with Zipline for the drone delivery of essential medicines was a total waste of money.
According to Mahama Ayariga, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has the capacity to procure its own drones to deliver critical drugs to communities.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga stated, “It’s a total waste of money. The most expensive drones don’t even go beyond twenty thousand dollars. By now, we would have had drones for every district in this country managed by the Ghana Health Service. Let’s do a total calculation on how much money we have wasted on this Zipline contract.”
“I call for a cancellation of the contract. The contract should be cancelled. The Ghana Health Service should develop its own in-house capacity to deliver the blood through its own drones,” he added.
His remarks come on the back of Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, calling on the Leader of Government Business to summon the Health Minister to parliament to update the house on Zipline operations following three centres being shut down due to the government’s GH₵175 million unpaid debt.
It will be recalled, the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, launched the drones-for-medical-supplies initiative at Zipline’s first distribution centre at Omenako in the Eastern Region.
The $12.5 million contract was to enable the Ghana Health Service to fly blood and other essential medical supplies to deprived and hard-to-reach areas.