A year ago
The Ghanaian operations of Zipline Medical Delivery Service were allegedly threatened by the minister of health, according to some media reports.
Following a management meeting for the Ghana Health Service last week, several media outlets said that the Health Minister criticized the usage of the well-appreciated drone delivery service and vowed to speak to his superiors about stopping the use of it because it is being exploited.
But according to a press release from the Ministry of Health on Friday, the minister actually praised the procedures, rejecting the media claims.
The Minister said at the event that stakeholders and lives are saved every day thanks to Zipline's services, which employ drones to carry medical supplies to health institutions. The statement stated that stakeholders should strive to utilize the services wisely in order to promote sustainability.
"The Minister bemoaned the practice where some health facilities just place orders for Zipline services at times when the service is most needed," the statement stated.
The statement said, "Due to the unpredictable nature of developing technologies like Zipline, it will be in the best interests of the Ministry and its agencies to routinely review the rules governing its operations to ensure compliance with governmental policies."
The statement made clear that the "Ministry remains committed to the operations of Zipline in the provision of essential healthcare services and will keep looking into all possible means to make this sustainable."
"We hereby call on the public to disregard these false and misleading headlines," the statement reads. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), according to reports, is not functioning, which the Minister also referred to in the statement as deceptive.
Ghana's medical drone delivery service, the largest in the world, has won praise from across the globe.
United States Vice President Kamala Harris praised Ghana during her recent visit for setting an international example in the use of drones to transport critical medical supplies to off-the-grid locations.
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