Ghana launches medical drone service

  1. Ghana has launched a program for drone delivery of medical supplies. Ghana’s President has claimed that it would become the “world’s largest drone delivery service.” Drones or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are unmanned aircrafts piloted from a remote pilot station.
  2. Problems of medical access due to poor roads in Ghana had necessitated the deployment of medical drone service. The drones are planned to ferry 150 different medicines, blood, and vaccines to more than 2,000 clinics across Ghana and is estimated to serve nearly 40% of the population.
  3. The medical drone service is being operated by Zipline. It is an US-based UAV manufacturer and logistics services provider. In 2016, Zipline first began proving medical drone service in Rwanda, East Africa.