Bill Gates lauds Ghana’s Medical Drone Delivery Project

Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates has lauded Ghana for adopting drone technology to supply essential medical supplies to health facilities across the country.

Ghana last month, inaugurated the Omenako centre in the Eastern Region to serve as a point from where blood and other essential medicines and vaccines will be distributed by drones to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.


In a tweet, the business magnate and philanthropist commended Ghana and Zipline, the company responsible for the installation, operation and maintenance of the drones for implementing the innovative idea.

He tweeted: “It’s amazing to think about the creative ways we’ve delivered vaccines over the years (even by dog sled, when necessary). Today, a startup called Zipline is even using delivery drones to reach the most remote parts of the world.”

Background

The $12 million initiative, known as ‘Fly to Save a Life Project’, will fly special purpose drones from the Omenako centre to distribute essential medical supplies to health facilities in the Eastern Region, parts of the Ashanti and Volta regions as well as the entire Afram Plains.

Constructed and operated by the San Francisco-based drones manufacturer and logistics services provider, Zipline, the new service will make emergency delivery of 150 different vaccines, blood products and life-saving medications on demand.

Three more centres will be constructed at strategic locations in the country.