Delivering chronic disease medication to patients’ doorstep

On January 20, 2023, Zipline and Inshuti Mu Buzima, as Partners in Health (PIH) is known in Rwanda, launched a pilot program to deliver insulin and other supplies directly to patients with diabetes.

Patients with diabetes often struggle to access medication—especially those who live hours from the closest health facility. Some people who participated in the PIH pilot said that, before Zipline, they spent the night outside the hospital the day before picking up supplies so they could make it back to work on time. Others said the cost of transportation from their homes to health clinics amounted to a third of their monthly income.

Zipline delivery brought crucial chronic care management supplies directly to patients’ homes. Doing so increased medication adherence while saving patients time and money. In 2023, Zipline completed 160 deliveries containing nearly 3,000 units of insulin as part of our PIH partnership.

“We are learning that this collaboration is making healthcare services more accessible to patients and is bridging financial and access barriers to care, which remote patients usually face,” says Innocent Kamali, Inshuti Mu Buzima’s District Program Director in Kayonza. 

Zipline and PIH are early in their work together to use at-home delivery to help people self-manage chronic diseases. 

“Home delivery could help thousands of patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions,” says Pierre Kayitana, General Manager of Zipline in Rwanda. “Patients shouldn’t have to spend their valuable time and money traveling to get treatment they can administer themselves. Zipline delivery helps them get care where they prefer—in the privacy of their own homes.”