UNICEF and USAID handover cold chain equipment to rural primary health clinics to strengthen vaccine delivery across Georgia

TBILISI, Georgia, 28 June 2022 – More than 330 refrigerators were handed over to the National Center for Disease Control and Public Heath (NCDC) to be distributed among health clinics across the country to make sure that integrity of vaccines is maintained at all times. The refrigerators are supplied with voltage regulators, as well as temperature monitoring devices, with factory programmed alarms and visual display for monitoring storage conditions in vaccine refrigerators.  

The supplies were procured by UNICEF with support from USAID within the framework of the project “Preventing and Responding to COVID-19 in Georgia”.  One of the aims of the project is to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine delivery by addressing gaps in cold chain and improving decentralized vaccine storage through the provision of cold chain equipment as needed to medical facilities, temporary vaccination sites and mobile vaccination clinics participating in COVID-19 vaccination.

“We need to ensure that quality preventive healthcare, such as immunization is accessible and provided to all, whether they live in a rural or an urban area,” - Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Georgia.

“The refrigerators provided to NCDC today, with great support from USAID, will ensure that all health clinics providing vaccination in Georgia, whether in big cities or mountainous villages, are equipped with the newest solutions to maintain vaccine integrity and thus provide quality service to all people,” added Khalil. 

To strengthen the vaccine delivery chain at central as well as local levels, UNICEF has also provided the clinics with 500 cold boxes with a cold life of 107 hours. Cold chain equipment will be distributed to the rural clinics selected by the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health based on the identified critical need. In addition, a walk-in type Cold Room will be installed at the district level public health facility in Sighnaghi.

USAID-UNICEF joint project aims to prevent the spread and importation of COVID-19, and quickly detect and appropriately respond to outbreaks, in order to minimize the overall impact of the pandemic in Georgia through: risk communication and community engagement; improved infection, prevention and control measures and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services; and provision of critical equipment and supplies to meet urgent needs and strengthen health services for the management of COVID-19.