Drones for medical supplies: Get your priorities right - Mahama to Gov't

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s service agreement with Zipline to supply medical supplies to underserved parts of the country is an indication of the current administration’s misplaced priorities, former President John Dramani Mahama has said.

Speaking to supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday at the Trade Fair Centre after he filed his nomination forms to contest the party’s Presidential ticket, Mr. Mahama criticized the government for pushing through with the deal despite opposition from stakeholders in the health sector.

He called on the government to maximize the country’s limited resources by spending on interventions which address the specific challenges in Ghana’s health sector.

“Instead of prioritizing the needs of the health sector, the NPP government chooses to acquire drones to fly blood,  a decision which has been roundly condemned by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists.

“Government should get its priorities right by spending the limited resources on more essential interventions other than copying innovations without relevance to the realities of Ghana’s current needs.”

The Minority in Parliament has criticized the agreement, which was passed last Tuesday, describing it as a rip-off and a misplaced priority.

The Ghana Medical Association also called on the government to suspend the deal because it does not fit into the country’s existing healthcare policy.

Mr. Mahama stated that government in his tenure, had prioritized the construction of health facilities to address healthcare delivery challenges across the country.

However, most of these projects, the former President lamented, had been abandoned by the current government because of what he described as “petty partisanship.”

“Without a doubt, there are chronic problems with our health system that every administration of the Fourth Republic has sought to address with a varying degree of success. Health worker shortages, inadequacy of our health infrastructure and fiscal constraints, these are but of a few of the bottlenecks we have strived to address in our period in office.”

“My administration prioritized them, we took action to increase healthcare access through a programme of building infrastructure and facilities that aspired to bring healthcare to the people’s doorstep wherever they may be in our nation. Our tenure saw the completion and commissioning of top-tier medical facilities. Unfortunately, many of these now stand unattended to, monuments to the petty partisanship of the day, while our people persist in their despair. It is beneath our dignity to allow this to continue.”

These concerns from Mahama about the drone deal have been trumpeted by members of his party a number of times, but are also shared by the NPP’s Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

“First things first; before you take the drone to deliver the drugs, check the quality of the drugs and the facilities or the hospitals. It is more important to me… Is the drone a priority? I will say no.”

“Until we have sophisticated hospitals such that we don’t have to travel to America or South Africa, then you can think of drones.”

Deal approved

Parliament passed the service agreement with Fly Zipline by a vote of 102-58.

This was after the First Deputy Speaker’s decision to have the agreement approved by a voice vote, was challenged by the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

The Minority in Parliament said operating the services will cost the state $145,000 dollars monthly at each distribution centre

But Deputy Information Minister, Pius Hadzide, dismissed suggestions that operating the drone-delivery system for medical supplies at just four distribution centres for four years would cost the country about $27.8 million.

Mr. Hadzide stated that the highest estimated cost of implementing the programme at each distribution centre is $88, 000, with rebates potentially reducing the amount by $11, 000.

Zipline on the defence

Meanwhile, Systems Integration Manager at Fly Zipline, Daniel Marfo, has said the drone technology to be used in supplying blood should be viewed solely as an emergency intervention.

Speaking on Citi TV’s Face to Face, Mr. Marfo said that feasibility studies by Zipline revealed that health centers in Ghana face various challenges and as a result, he expects the introduction of the drones will help save lives during emergency circumstances.

By: Edwin Kwakofi |citinewsroom.com | Ghana | [email protected]
Follow @EdKwakofi

Source: citifmonline.com