Cross River partners Zipline to distribute medical supplies with drone
******* First State to Use Drones to Deliver Medical Products Within the South-South Region of Nigeria
*********Zipline Will Enable Access to Health Care, Create Efficient Delivery System of for more than 1,000 Facilities Statewide
By Meletus EZE
The Cross River Government has partnered with Zipline, a national-scale drone delivery service, for on-demand delivery of medical supplies to health facilities across the state.
Mr Daniel Marfo, the Senior Vice President of Africa at Zipline said in a statement in Lagos on Monday.
Marfo said Zipline plans to initially build two distribution centers to facilitate deliveries to more than 1,000 health facilities that serve millions of people across the state.
He said the medical supplies included vaccines, medications and blood products.
“These distribution centers will support the delivery of medical supplies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Construction of the first distribution center is expected to begin immediately and completed within six months from the start date,” he said.
According to him, the partnership was made possible by the foresight and collaboration of Gov.Benedict Ayade, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu and others.
Marfo said that Zipline aim to significantly improve the health delivery system of the state and increase access to health care for communities across the state, even in remote areas.
“We are on a mission to transform health care systems around the world
“We are thrilled to partner with Cross River State as they invest in innovation to improve the health of their people
“Our partnership is not just about delivering medical supplies,” Marfo said.
He said the firm was working together to reimagine how health systems work,how to best deliver care to patients, and increase access for all people by designing a better system.
He said Zipline would support all health facilities with emergency response capabilities, as well as routine and stockout-response deliveries of medicines, vaccines, and blood.
He said Zipline would also serve as the sole supplier for some health facilities in remote regions in Cross River State, creating a more efficient delivery service.
According to him, the partnership between Cross River and Zipline will lead to the creation of several healthcare and engineering jobs for indigenes of the state.
“The partnership will also lead to knowledge transfer in the area of drone technology.
Ayade said: “Healthcare is one of our top priorities, and we are committed to creating a functional system in which no one is left behind.
“Zipline is a key, innovative part of our investment in our health systems.
“Their delivery service will help us to remove access barriers to health care and create a more equitable and efficient health system across the state.
“The focus of this partnership is to ensure that all barriers hindering the successful delivery of medical commodities to our people is removed.
“This is one of the many forward-thinking interventions we are implementing to consolidate the gains we have made within the health care system.”
Also, Edu said, the agreement was an important milestone for the state as he health system is strengthened with emphasis on Primary Health care to enable the state achieve universal health coverage.
“We anticipate that this revolutionary technology will improve access and even distribution of medical commodities to remote and hard-to-reach areas, which has only become more urgent with the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
