Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has revealed that the circumstances surrounding his father’s death inspired the launch of the medical drone delivery initiative.
He explained that his father passed away in 2002 after undergoing surgery in Tamale, due to difficulties in accessing blood.
This personal tragedy, he noted, motivated him to champion the introduction of the drone delivery system, which ensures timely delivery of medical supplies, including blood, to remote areas.
While campaigning in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra on Friday, Dr. Bawumia emphasised that the initiative was introduced to prevent others from facing similar challenges in medical emergencies.
“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.
