Zipline delivers one million COVID-19 vaccine doses

Zipline, the global leader in instant logistics, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) Thursday said one million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered across the country via Zipline’s automated on-demand delivery system.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, it said Zipline and the MOH had released findings from a new third-party report, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which showed the impact of the company’s instant logistics system on Ghana’s health system.

The data demonstrates significant increases in the availability, reliability and range of inventory at health facilities by addressing supply chain challenges such as lack of visibility, uncertain demand forecasting, and shipment delays.

“Our government’s investment in healthcare delivery is part of our larger mission to build a stronger, more agile health system that better serves the people of Ghana,” Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Health Minister, was quoted as saying.

“Over the past few years, we’ve made huge strides towards getting people the care they need, when and where they need it. And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were prepared to rapidly and equitably deliver vaccines to Ghanaians everywhere," he said.

The Government and Zipline first began working together back in 2019. Currently, the company operates on a national scale, serving more than 15 million people from six distribution centres, with two more expected to be launched later this year.

Its services had expanded rapidly in Ghana to meet demand, scaling from serving 160 facilities in 2019 to nearly 2,300 currently, the statement said.

“Zipline Ghana has flown 13 million miles and delivered more than five million doses of vaccines, in addition to blood products and other essential medicines.”

“Our partnership with Zipline has played a vital role in Ghana’s robust administration of COVID-19 vaccines to combat the pandemic and foster healthier communities,” Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, was quoted as saying.

“Through its automated, on-demand delivery service and other efforts by the Government, we’ve been able to rapidly and equitably distribute vaccines to many parts of the country.”

The independent study of the company’s impact was conducted by IDinsight and analysed health facilities served by three of Zipline’s distribution centres in Ghana.

The results indicated the company’s meaningful contribution to government’s work towards expanding healthcare across the country, with a statistically significant impact on inventory availability and supply chain performance.

It showed the logistics company had shortened vaccine stock-outs by 60 per cent, decreased inventory-driven missed vaccination opportunities by 42 per cent, decreased facilities without critical medical supplies by 21 per cent and increased types of medicines and supplies stocked at health facilities by 10 per cent, the statement said.

“We’re proud to play a key role in Ghana’s healthcare transformation,” Daniel Marfo, Zipline’s Senior Vice President of Africa, was quoted as saying.

“It has made critical investments in addressing the systemic challenges of the healthcare supply chain. These investments have had a profound impact on the availability of medicines and vaccines, enabling patients to reliably access the care they need.”