The respondents spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday at some medical facilities in remote and riverine villages in Ogbia and Yenagoa Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bayelsa.
The beneficiaries said the drone services had boosted immunisation coverage to 97 per cent and addressed issues of drug shortages in health facilities in remote areas.
NAN recalls that the Bayelsa Government partnered with logistics delivery company, Zipline, in 2022 to enhance the preservation of cold chain medications and distribution of medical supplies to its remote health facilities.
NAN learnt that the collaboration had facilitated more than 13,500 deliveries of medical supplies including 537,000 doses of vaccines to 210 health facilities in Bayelsa.
Some nursing mothers said they no longer have issues with the availability of vaccines for children’s immunisation in rural hospitals.
A nursing mother, Mrs Elizabeth Akpo, at Otuokpoti Primary Heath Centre in Ogbia LGA, said before now some of her children could not get complete doses of their immunisations.
According to her, the hospitals always complain of the unavailability of vaccines due to the distance to Yenagoa.
“They now attend to me quickly and there are always injections anytime I come; they no longer give us excuses.
“As a farmer, I don’t have much time to wait in the hospital, that is why I am very happy with the recent healthcare attention.
“The immunisation is very good; it makes the baby look very good. I barely experience small sicknesses like malaria, stooling, and measles; they fly our vaccines to the hospital from Yenagoa and we are very happy,” she said.
The Officer-in-Charge of Otuokpoti Primary Heath Centre, Mrs Ase Adiogbogbo, said the use of drones had enhanced prompt service delivery and adequate attention to patients in emergency.
She said, “The experience has been wonderful; they are prompt in delivering the product, especially, the vaccines we order from them.
“So, whenever we request, they are prompt in bringing it. We were initially having issues but for now, everything is good – they drop at the proper site here in the hospital before we store them in our storage facility.
“Just like the situation of immunisation, as you know, this is a rural hospital dealing mostly with nursing mothers, but there has been improvement in our healthcare delivery.
“Before now, it takes time for the vaccines to get to us. When it happens, we get out of stock. But now, there is no shortage of drugs, no complaint about abandoning patients again due to lack of drugs.”
Head of Clinical Services, Kolo General Hospital, Ogbia LGA, Dr Opukumo Alexendra, described the drone services as an innovation designed to improve the health needs of rural dwellers.
“I can say it is the best technology so far because if you should look for any item that is not available, maybe you go to the market to look for it and it is not there, you can get it as you place the call to them.
“Zipline has rendered so many services that we cannot overemphasise. The truth about it is that they respond quickly whenever you request and more so, I can say it’s the safest and the best possible way to get drugs from the source,” he said.
Also, the Immunisation Officer at Agudama Ekpetiama General Hospital in Yenagoa LGA, Dr Agabugene Timineri, said the technological innovation was a big improvement in the health system in Bayelsa.
According to him, the ordered vaccines get to them in 10 minutes, compared to when they would have to travel hours to the city to get drugs for patients in need of emergency attention. NAN
