Rwanda Global Healthcare Summit which took place recently from 18th to 21st November 2021, brought together health experts, medicines manufacturing plants and health services among others to seek solutions aimed at addressing challenges that continue to affect Africa’s health sector.
Since the firm began operations in 2016, it has flown drones 200,000 times delivering medical supplies to more than 350 health facilities.
Jongwe, a Zimbabwean and CEO of Becs Ltd, a company which trades medical equipment in Rwanda said that Zipline came in handy to save people’s lives through emergency support.
“My wish is to see the technology to deliver medical supplies to hospital using drones extended to other African countries because it has a great impact. It is an impressing technology in which Governments should invest. Rwanda has done a great job which other countries should emulate,” he said.
The Director General of Sanitas Hospital in Tanzania, Ezekiel Sai revealed that he learnt a lot from experiences shared during the summit, most importantly, the achievements of Zipline Rwanda.
“I have been very impressed with this technology considering how Zipline staff is coordinated and delivered services. The technology needs to be introduced in Tanzania to facilitate health services to citizens in remote areas,” he said.
Zipline Rwanda’s drones can cover 100 kilometers per hour and operate 24 hours every day.
The operations coordinator at Zipline Rwanda, Daine Munezero Kayigi has said that hospitals can communicate needed quantities of blood, drugs and other medical supplies via WatsApp, short messages, or communicate via phone call to have them delivered in few minutes.
Zimbabwean, Walter Muparadzi who also attended the summit commended the efforts to integrate technology in health services delivery.
Participants were taken through the package of partnership with health centers, hospitals and process of flying drones.
Zipline started operations in Rwanda in 2016. It has two distribution centers based in Kayonza district, Eastern Province and Muhanga district in Southern Province.
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