The health ministry warns against using medical drones improperly

The country's misuse of medical drones has been forewarned against by the Ministry of Health.

It served as a reminder to hospital administrators that drones should only be used in life-threatening situations.

Last Tuesday, the sector minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said a recent visit to some health centers revealed the managers were making requests for products that were not intended for emergency treatments. He was addressing at a three-day gathering of senior management of the health ministry in Kumasi.

Some even demand that certain medications, like antibiotics, be delivered by drones, the man added.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu, however, said that it was not wise to make such demands given the high expense of flying medical supplies and advised health directors to make sure their requests did not conflict with regulations for the use of medical drones.

Event

The meeting's theme was "Enhancing primary healthcare approaches towards achieving universal health coverage."

It evaluated the Ghana Health Service's (GHS) performance in 2022 and established a plan for the future.

Senior service members from the 16 areas, as well as some significant sponsors and partners, attended the occasion.

The Otumfuo's Mawerehene, Baafour Osei Hyeamann Brantuo VI, and the GHS Council Chair, Dr. Sefa Sarpong Bediako, were also present.

A plan to deploy medical drones to carry blood, medications, vaccines, and other essential health supplies to rural areas of the nation was approved by Parliament in 2018.

Since that time, the US-based company Zipline has been supplying desperate communities with life-saving medical equipment.

Improvements

According to Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the GHS, various health indices improved during the year under review.

For instance, he said that despite some difficulties, the institutional maternal death rate has dramatically decreased.

In addition, Mr. Aboagye stated that the GHS exceeded its goal in terms of the proportion of women seeking maternity care, and that half a million people were given access to long-term family planning techniques.

The number of babies who benefited from early breastfeeding initiation and the number of children under the age of five receiving vitamin "A" both improved, he continued.