The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has provided detailed updates on critical health sector interventions while addressing the media at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency. He reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting nursing trainees and ensuring value for money across all health-related programs.
The Minister disclosed that government has made substantial payments toward nursing trainee allowances.
“We have paid some 500 million Ghana cedis for the nursing trainee allowance. And in the first week of December, we are going to pay another 231 million Ghana cedis. So we are not piling up arrears. We are paying promptly,” he stated.
Clarifying the Zipline Drone Contract
Hon. Akandoh also addressed concerns regarding the cost structure and effectiveness of the Zipline drone delivery contract. Signed in 2018 and implemented in 2019, the agreement was sole-sourced and included strict “take-or-pay” obligations.
“Every month, the Government of Ghana was and is supposed to pay 88,000 dollars per center. With six centers, that is a little over half a million dollars every month,” he explained.
He noted that this arrangement contradicts assurances made in Parliament at the time the contract was approved.
“The then Minister for Health explained on the floor that the Minister for Finance did not sign because the payments were not going to come from the consolidated fund. The public purse was not supposed to come in here,” he added.
Findings From the Operational Review
A review ordered by the Ministry revealed that Zipline’s current operations diverge significantly from the contract’s original purpose.
“Their services were meant for hard-to-reach areas and emergency deliveries. But the review shows that only 12% of activities cover hard-to-reach areas, and only 4% cover emergencies.”
He revealed that Zipline drones had been transporting a range of non-emergency and non-medical items.
“Some of the items include condoms, blood donor cards, not blood, mosquito nets, food and nutrition items, syringes, adhesive tapes, educational materials, textbooks, exercise books, uniforms, and more.”
Engagement Ongoing to Secure Better Value
Hon. Akandoh dismissed claims suggesting government had halted engagement with Zipline.
“If you hear that we are not engaging Zipline, it is not true. We have met more than three times, and discussions are ongoing to ensure value for money,” he said.
He concluded by reiterating President Mahama’s directive:
“His Excellency has instructed that every ministry must ensure value for money in all activities.”
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
