The Ministry of Health (MoH) has called for the development of a comprehensive policy framework to regulate the use of aerial logistics services, commonly known as drone services, in Ghana’s healthcare sector.
The ministry said a clear regulatory framework was needed to define where medical drones could operate, the services they could provide and the types of health commodities they could transport.
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Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Mr Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, made the call while representing the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, at a roundtable discussion on the integration of drone technology into Ghana’s health supply chain.
The meeting, attended by officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other health sector agencies, was held under the theme: “Three years of integrating aerial logistics in health supply chain management in Ghana – successes, challenges and opportunities.”
Mr Oku-Afari noted that proposals had emerged for drones to deliver medicines directly from pharmacies to people’s homes, stressing that such developments required clear policies to ensure safe and appropriate use.
He warned against the uncontrolled operation of drones under the guise of medicine delivery, saying appropriate regulations would help protect public safety while supporting innovation in healthcare.
Ghana launched what has been described as the world’s largest medical drone delivery network in April 2019 through a partnership involving the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service and Zipline Technology.
The first distribution centre was established at Omenako in the Eastern Region to improve access to essential medical supplies, particularly in remote and underserved communities.
Mr Oku-Afari said the network had since expanded to six distribution centres located in the Ashanti, Western North, North East and Oti regions, providing services across 13 regions.
According to him, Zipline currently supplies vaccines, blood products and other essential medical commodities to about 2,500 health facilities operated by the Ghana Health Service, the National Catholic Health Service and other faith-based health providers in 147 districts.
He said the drone network had significantly improved emergency healthcare delivery by transporting vaccines, anti-rabies vaccines, anti-snake venom and other essential medicines to hard-to-reach communities within 15 to 20 minutes, compared to journeys of more than two hours by road.
General Manager of Zipline Ghana, Mr Mawuli Atiemo, said Ghana’s decision to adopt drone technology in healthcare had attracted international attention and positioned the country as a global leader in medical drone operations.
He disclosed that Zipline had secured funding from the United States Trade and Development Agency to conduct feasibility studies into expanding drone services and exploring additional applications in Ghana and Nigeria.
Mr Atiemo added that the company had delivered more than 5.9 million childhood vaccine doses to health facilities, particularly in communities with difficult terrain or inadequate cold storage facilities.
He cited the Western North Region, where Zipline serves as the sole distributor of childhood vaccines, as an example of how the technology had reduced delays in medicine distribution, improved vaccine availability and contributed to better child health outcomes.
