More than 1,000 health facilities in Nigeria have been receiving medicine and vaccines from the Zipline logistics delivery system, according to Catherine Odiase, general manager of Zipline Nigeria, a drone delivery logistics company.
Odiase told newsmen that there are plans to expand the Service, which began operations in Kaduna, Nigeria in 2022, to more areas.
She said that following a partnership with the Kaduna State Government, Zipline has within a space of a year expanded to three other states, thereby increasing the number of serviced facilities in Africa’s biggest economy.
She said the company currently has three hubs in Nigeria and they include Kaduna, Cross River and Bayelsa which serve over 1,000 health facilities in the three locations.
“The company is currently covering over 500 health facilities in Kaduna at the moment; over 350 in Cross River State and 200 health facilities in Bayelsa,” she said.
Odiase further said that the services of Zipline have reduced delivery time and maximised efficiency in healthcare delivery with precision. This, she indicated, has improved health outcomes and armed health facilities to use data to understand health supply management.
“The interesting thing about our operations is the efficiency and the speed at which we deliver these commodities to the different health facilities. A journey that could traditionally take seven hours by road takes Zipline just about 45 minutes using drones. Our delivery system is seamless, on-demand and positively impacting the overall health delivery of the facilities we serve,” she added.
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Also, Augustine Okputu, ward focal person at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Ijiragha Ward, Yala Local Government Area, Cross River State, commended Zipline’s efficiency and commitment to ensuring enhanced user-friendliness of drug requisition and supply services at the health centre.
“People have increased confidence in the centre and that the medical supplies come from a reputable and trusted source. We have seen an encouraging number of people coming to patronise our facilities. Zipline has greatly helped in terms of increased patient visits. They deliver almost every medicine we request. By this, children, and adults alike trust that they will no longer be referred to other facilities due to the non-availability of medicines which we can readily order from Zipline when we run out of our regular supplies,” Okputu said.
Okputu thanked the Cross River State government for partnering with Zipline for such a transformative technology.
“Instead of travelling long distances during emergencies or times when we run out of stock, we can now sit comfortably in our offices, place orders and receive them right at our facility. Our patients also seem very satisfied with the level of improvement in our support to them,” he said.
Also, community dwellers expressed confidence in receiving prompt treatment whenever they visit a healthcare facility.
This renewed assurance stems from Zipline’s unwavering readiness to swiftly deliver medications immediately after orders are placed. Regardless of their location, Zipline is dedicated to making sure that essential supplies are delivered as soon as possible to individuals in need.
