Commissioner of Health, Dr Amina Mohammed Baloni, has disclosed that Kaduna state will be the first subnational in Nigeria to use unmanned ariel drones to improve access to healthcare delivery.
The commissioner who spoke at the commissioning of the Zipline instant logistics distribution hub in Pambegua, said the technology will surmount the challenges of getting much needed commodities to facilities in time.
‘’This will be particularly useful in our rural areas where women die from post-partum hemorrhage due to delays in getting blood, the drones will be able to deliver lifesaving products within an hour and will ensure that medical emergencies can be attended to, and lives can be saved,’’ she added.
Dr Baloni pointed out that the technology is a ‘’ step towards addressing the time gap experienced in accessing healthcare delivery within the state as well as reducing the difficulty of people accessing essential medicines, vaccines, blood and blood products as well as other medical commodities.’’
The commissioner assured that that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, will also utilize this method of delivery to hard-to-reach communities for vaccination of children and eligible populations, thereby boosting immunization coverage.
According to her, the partnership with Zipline demonstrates Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s ‘’commitment to good healthcare delivery through innovations and the use of technology to attain the health-related SDGs and attainment of Universal Health Coverage.‘’
‘’Zipline, as an internationally recognized health logistics management company with operations in Rwanda and Ghana, utilizes local talent to deliver.
‘’Local staff were recruited and trained and gained experience in their Ghana center and are fully ready to drive operations in our first and subsequent distribution centers,’’ she disclosed.
The commissioner further disclosed that by the end of next year, ‘’two additional Zipline operating centers would have been constructed in other parts of Kaduna to achieve total connectivity of all primary health facilities, hospitals, and polyclinics in the state.‘’
She thanked the governor for his unwavering support to the health sector and determination to ensure that all citizens attain the highest state of health and wellbeing.
The commissioner also assured Zipline that it will receive all the required support, ‘’so we can together deliver on your mandate.’’
Dr Baloni further said that the state has always been driven by a shared desire to succeed, recalling that ‘’the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to our health system and this administration as usual rose to the challenge.’’
‘’A 136-bed infectious disease hospital was built and equipped in record time to provide world class care for infectious diseases, and we are in the process of ensuring that we transform this into a learning and research center with partnerships with National and International partners,’’ she said.
According to her, the El-Rufai administration has made huge investments in upgrading infrastructure and equipping health facilities at primary and secondary levels.
The commissioner said that recruitments have been made of close to 3000 health workers across all levels of care to fill in human resource gaps that are essential to quality services.
‘’The Kaduna State Health Supplies Agency which has been transforming the supply chain and medical logistics to ensure drugs, medicines and consumables are available at our facilities across the state.
‘’We have recently signed an MoU with pharmaceutical manufactures to procure medicines and consumables directly to cut costs and ensure quality,’’ she added.
