As part of a partnership with the government of Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Zipline will leverage its drone technology to deliver essential medicines, blood and other medical commodities to health facilities within the state
Zipline will establish a distribution hub in the state for the introduction, operation, and maintenance of a just-in-time instant logistics solutions to ensure that essential drugs, blood and a selection of other life-saving medical supplies are available.
When completed, the service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, day or night, from the distribution centre. The drones both take off from and land at Zipline’s distribution hub, requiring no additional infrastructure or manpower at the clinics they serve. They autonomously and can carry 1.8 kg of cargo, cruising at 110 km an hour, and have a round trip range of 160 km – even in high speed winds and rain. Deliveries are made from the sky, with the drone descending to a safe height above the ground and releasing a box of medicine by parachute to a designated spot.
“Zipline is pleased to partner with the people and government of Bayelsa to advance instant, autonomous healthcare delivery across the state,” said Zipline CEO, Keller Rinaudo. “This partnership is an important milestone for Zipline as we scale smart, safe and just-in-time delivery technology and transform how goods move around the globe.”
State commissioner of health, Pabara Newton Igwele, remarked “This partnership is significant to us as it will complement our efforts in hitching up primary health care delivery services in Bayelsa. There is no doubt that leveraging technology for medical delivery should be a game changer for even distribution of medical commodities.”
The Bayelsa signing follows Kaduna and Cross River states that have already signed onto the Zipline technology in Nigeria.
