Minister Aceng more launches solar powered Vaccine storage Equipment

While flagging off the cold chain equipment to various parts of the country today morning, the Minister of Health Hon. Ruth Aceng has congratulated the Ministry and its partners for the efforts in closing the gap of ensuring full coverage of quality cold chain equipment for vaccines up-to the sub-county level.

According to the Minister, in their country wide assessment of cold chain equipment conducted in 2016 a decision was taken to phase out old vaccine refrigerators and introduce new ones considering majorly those for solar due to power problems in certain areas of the country.

Since then, 89% of their efforts to implement this has been covered lately remaining with only 19% to fulfill their goal of full coverage of quality equipment.

Hon. Aceng also added that its with these efforts of well established and adequate cold chain equipment that Uganda didn't struggle with storing and distributing covid19 vaccines in various areas as the National Medical Stores had about 20 refrigerated trucks to distribute these vaccines across the country.

“Immunization contributes to one of the Sustainable Development Goals because it ensures healthy lives and promotes proper wellbeing in all ages” it’s with that aspect that the government of Uganda prioritizes to strengthen the health system and introduce new vaccines into routine immunization schedule' she emphasized.

The Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization was established in October 1963 and later re-launched in 1987 to provide vaccination of the six killer diseases that had become a threat to the world. Ever since then, the program hasn’t stoped and currently the total number of immunizable diseases reached 14 diseases and the efforts have led to significant reduction in mortality due to preventable diseases.

This equipment that included both 10 & 5 cubic meters Cold rooms, Solar direct drive fridges, On grid freezers and Solar panels all coasted over USD8million and these will be installed in cities and districts vaccine stores, lower level vaccine facilities, public health center III and IV plus other private health facilities across the country.

About 2,000 compliant vaccine carriers have also been allocated to all districts and cities across the country to enable reach of vaccines to village children to address the issue of the big number of unvaccinated and under immunized among the infants.

The Minister also hinted that this equipment is going to be of great advantage to the Polio and the Yellow fever vaccination campaigns they plan to launch soon here in Uganda.