By Umamah Bakharia

The Department of Health and the Vodacom Group has unveiled a multimillion-rand cold-chain equipment donation to boost vaccine storage and delivery.

The health department says this will boost Covid-19 vaccine storage and distribution.

The Vodacom Group and Vodafone Foundation donated R74-million for the purpose of the safe delivery of vaccines and other lifesaving medicine to several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Radio Islam speaks to the Health Department’s Pharmaceutical Specialist, Marione Schonfeldt on the donation made to assist vaccination supply.

“Because these vaccines are sensitive and should be stored in specific temperature ranges, [you] need equipment to maintain it,” says Schonfeldt.

Cold-chain equipment is used for semi-liable products such as vaccines or medications that require fridges or freezers to keep the product from expiring.

The Departments have received donations of fridges that will hold the vaccines for an extended time and cold boxes that can be used for the distribution of the vaccines.

“We hope to provide a service at a place where a vaccine fridge might not be available or movement of the vaccine between two different cites,” says Schonfeldt.