In a deliberate effort to expand access to healthcare in Ghana, four (4) Institutions in the health sector have secured $3.5M through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to expand autonomous drone-based vaccine delivery in the country.
The institutions include the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Zipline.
The announcement was contained in a release dated November 23, 2024 and signed by the Partnership Manager in charge of Zipline Ghana, Mr Muniru.
According to him, the collaboration was built on the remarkable success of aerial vaccine delivery in Ghana, adding that Zipline’s delivery model has transformed vaccination efforts in Ghana.
He continued that this initiative would support the Expanded Program of Immunisation (EPI), aiming to significantly boost vaccine coverage in low-immunisation districts across Ghana, to improve the vaccination rates in underserved districts.
The Partnership Manager in charge of Zipline Ghana, hinted that the initiative would help improve nationwide vaccination coverage by more than 25 percentage points, scale up new vaccine introductions, like the RTS, malaria vaccine and research, and evaluate the model’s health impact and cost-effectiveness.
Mr. Muniru stated that “this autonomous system ensures any point of care receives the doses it needs on the same day, eliminating the requirement for on-site cold storage and a 42% reduction in missed opportunities to vaccinate (IDinsight).
“An increase of 13-37 percentage points in vaccination coverage in Zipline-served regions compared to non-Zipline-served regions (Vaccine Journal).
“A soon-to-be-published study underscores that Zipline’s Last-Mile Delivery system is both highly cost-effective and cost-saving, offering unparalleled value for boosting immunisation coverage”, he stressed.
Gavi has been one of the most successful development initiatives in history, protecting people and communities around the world since 2000.
