HBC-80 vaccine refrigerators donated by the USAID in partnership UNICEF Việt Nam will be delivered to 590 hard-to-reach communes in 12 provinces in Northern and Central regions of Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of UNCIEF Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with UNICEF, has delivered 590 vaccine refrigerators to the Ministry of Health as part of support to further improve cold chain systems for routine immunisation and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. 

“USAID and the US Government are proud to continue our strong collaboration with the Government and people of Việt Nam in jointly addressing the national and global challenge of infectious diseases. Today, USAID is pleased to join one of our key partners, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health, to recognise our enduring collaboration through our support of refrigerators to 12 provinces to help accelerate equitable access to and delivery of safe and effective doses of COVID-19 vaccines and other routine vaccines for children. We value the partnership and commitment from the Government of Việt Nam, particularly the Ministry of Health, National Expanded Immunisation Programme,” Myat Htoo Razak, USAID’s Senior Global Health Security Advisor, said at the handover event. 

The vaccine refrigerators – HBC-80 model – will be delivered to 590 hard-to-reach communes in 12 provinces in Northern and Central regions of Việt Nam.

The model can maintain cold conditions for vaccines that must be stored at a temperature range of +2 degrees Celsius to +8 degrees Celsius, which is required for the majority of vaccines managed under the Expanded Immunisation Programme.

With a storage capacity of 61L, each refrigerator will be able to store enough vaccine doses for routine immunisation and targeted COVID-19 vaccination in the communes.

“This support is crucial to ensure that vaccines are safely stored and delivered at commune level, enabling children to be vaccinated as soon as they are due – rather than waiting to collect vaccines from a higher-level storage facility that is far away. This is especially important nowadays, when Việt Nam is making efforts to reverse the significant decline in routine vaccination with UNICEF’s support to ensure 5-in-1 vaccine supply. UNICEF is committed to continue supporting the strengthening of the health system not only at the national level but also to ensure strong capacity at the community level,” Maharajan Muthu, Chief of Child Survival and Development at UNICEF Việt Nam, said.

“UNICEF is delighted to join hands with USAID to support Việt Nam to enhance the capacity of immunisation systems to ensure that people in the remote areas have access to safe vaccines.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID and UNICEF worked with the Ministry of Health to bolster communication campaigns providing useful information to the public, as well as to support with the infection prevention, control and response efforts.

USAID, in partnership with UNICEF, said it will continue to support Việt Nam in improving the capacity of immunisation systems. — VNS