Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is not pleased with government’s decision to use dronetechnology to deliver blood and other health supplies nationwide.
To him, the deal is a misplaced priority because the country has inadequate ambulances and lacks enough state-of-the-art health centres.
“First things first; before you take the drone to deliver the drugs, you need to check the quality of the drugs and the facilities or the hospitals. I think it’s not a priority. Until we have state of the art hospitals, clinics, and polyclinics that can deliver and prevent us from travelling outside for healthcare, then the drones are not a good idea,” he said on Adom TV’s morning show, Badwam Tuesday.
Government is seeking approval from Parliament to engage Fly Zipline Ghana Limited, a private firm, to design, install and operate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), subject to the approval of the Public Procurement Authority.
The $12 million contract is to enable the government to fly blood and other health essentials to deprived areas.
Fly Zipline launched similar service in Rwanda in 2006 to improve public health delivery in that country.
Ghana’s Parliament deferred voting on the services agreement twice this week to allow for some issues to be ironed out.
The Minority had raised concerns about the contract, saying it is a rip-off.
Mr. Agyapong who agrees with the concerns of the minority said the areas in Ghana without health facilities needed health centres and not drones.
Source: Adomonline.com
