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Els MBN360 News
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has called for the termination of the government’s contract with Zipline for the drone delivery of essential medicines, describing it as a total waste of state resources.
His comments come after the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, urged the Leader of Government Business to summon the Health Minister next week to update Parliament on measures to revamp Zipline operations at three centres that were shut down due to the government’s GH₵175 million unpaid debt.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has the capacity to procure its own drones to deliver critical drugs to underserved communities.
“It’s a total waste of money. The most expensive drones don’t even go beyond twenty thousand dollars. By now, we would have had drones for every district in this country managed by the Ghana Health Service. Let’s do a total calculation on how much money we have wasted on this Zipline contract.”
“I call for a cancellation of the contract. The contract should be cancelled. The Ghana Health Service should develop its own in-house capacity to deliver the blood through its own drones,” he added.
Zipline has announced the shutdown of three centers due to outstanding claims of GH¢175 million, sparking concerns about disruptions to rural healthcare. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has urged the government to address the issue and ensure continued access to essential medical supplies.
