Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has raised serious concerns about the cost and value of the country’s contract with Zipline Ghana, the drone delivery company responsible for transporting blood and essential medical supplies to health facilities.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, the Minister disclosed that the 2018 contract requires government to pay $88,000 per centre each month for all six distribution centres, amounting to approximately $520,000 every month.
However, an audit of the programme has revealed that only 12% of the areas Zipline serves qualify as “hard-to-reach”, and a mere 4% of deliveries can be classified as genuine medical emergencies, raising questions about whether the government is getting value for the substantial investment.
“These findings present major value-for-money concerns,” the Minister stated.
“It is important we reassess the financial sustainability and operational efficiency of this contract.”
Parliament Deeply Divided as Calls for Cancellation Intensify
The Minister’s remarks come amid escalating debate in Parliament following claims that the government has cancelled the Zipline contract due to outstanding debts reportedly exceeding GH¢170 million.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, who has long opposed the contract, argued that the Ghana Health Service should have developed its own drone delivery capability instead of paying huge annual sums to an external provider.
“Every year we spend GH¢170 million so they can drop blood in some village and come back,” Ayariga said.
“The Ministry should have bought its own drones long ago. This is a total waste of money.”
Ayariga insisted that after years of reliance on Zipline, Ghana should now be in a position to manage drone logistics internally at a fraction of the cost.
Zipline Shutdown Sparks Fears for Rural Healthcare
Earlier this week, Zipline reportedly shut down three of its distribution centres, attributing the closure to months of unpaid claims by the government.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin expressed concern that discontinuing Zipline’s operations could endanger lives in remote communities that rely on rapid access to blood and essential medicines.
“It is not those of us in the cities who will suffer,” he warned.
“It is rural patients who may need urgent transfusions or emergency medication.”
Government Expected to Announce Next Steps
With both sides of Parliament demanding clarity, the Health Minister is expected to brief the nation on the government’s final decision regarding the future of drone-based medical deliveries.
For now, the debate continues over whether Zipline remains a life-saving innovation or an expensive venture draining public resources.
