The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr.
Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that the tragic circumstances surrounding his father's death were the inspiration behind the medical drone delivery initiative.
He explained that his father passed away due to difficulties in accessing blood while he was critically ill and admitted for treatment.
While campaigning in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, Dr.
Bawumia emphasised that his drive to introduce the medical drone delivery system was to ensure that no one else would have to endure the same challenges his family faced during his father's illness. "We brought drones into Ghana to deliver medicines, vaccines, and blood.
Many people were dying needlessly because they could not get medicine on time.
A snake can bite you on the farm and you need medicine, and anti-snake serum immediately.
A mother can be giving birth in the village and needs blood immediately. "In 2002, my father had an operation in Tamale and was losing blood.
We were looking for blood, but the blood bank was locked. "We tried to find the operator but couldn't find him.
So when I heard about drones and Zipline and what they could do in delivering blood, I took my team and went to San Francisco. "We met the Zipline company and convinced them to come to Ghana and set up six drone centres in Ghana.
We have six drone centres which are delivering blood, medicines, and vaccines to 2,700 hospitals and health centres in Ghana.
Every day we are saving lives.
So far, the drones have flown 540,000 flights," he stated.