A new study assessed the cost-effectiveness of aerial logistics as an intervention to improve immunization coverage in Ghana, finding that it was highly cost-effective. In mid-2020, the Ghana Health Service introduced Zipline’s aerial logistics (centralized storage and delivery by drones) in the Western North Region to enhance health supply chain resilience, which led to improved vaccination coverage in high-utilization districts and averted 688 disease cases in 2021.
This analysis found that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $41 and $58 per averted disability-adjusted life-year from the societal and government perspectives, respectively. The intervention was cost-saving when at least 20% of vaccines delivered by aerial logistics replaced those that would have been delivered by ground transportation, with potential government savings of up to $250 per averted DALY. The intervention was found to be cost-saving even with low levels of replacement of traditional last mile delivery.
How can the findings be used?
At a cost of $0.66 per additional Fully Immunized Child (FIC), Zipline’s model demonstrates greater cost-effectiveness than many established interventions aimed at improving immunization rates. Identifying this cost-effectiveness profile is particularly valuable for governments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), who must make difficult decisions about how to allocate limited resources across immunization programs. These findings can support policymakers in determining when aerial logistics offers the most strategic and impactful addition to their immunization policy portfolio.
Thumbnail image credit: Zipline
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