16 special refrigerator trucks purchased under the joint projects of the Ministry of Health and the World Bank will be used to deliver vaccines in the “cold chain”
Modern trucks with refrigeration units meet international standards for the transportation of temperature-sensitive immunoglobulin products and ensure compliance with the cold chain conditions during the delivery of vaccines at all stages: from the warehouse to the delivery to vaccination points. The vehicles were purchased as part of the cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the World Bank under the “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination” project. They will allow transporting more vaccines, ensuring quality control and a stable temperature during transportation.
“One of the key components of project cooperation is aimed at developing a modern vaccine logistics system in compliance with the cold chain requirements, including the transportation of immunobiological products with proper temperature conditions. The trucks will be used to transport vaccines from the national warehouse to regional warehouses or directly to healthcare facilities and will allow for stronger quality control during the delivery of vaccines, given possible problems with electricity.”
Since 2015, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the World Bank have been partners in healthcare reform. Two major projects are currently being implemented as part of the cooperation: “Health Enhancement and Lifesaving” (HEAL) and “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination”, which creates a national vaccine storage system with temperature control of the “cold chain”, which will provide a new level of reliability of storage of immunobiological products, including COVID-19 vaccines.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank has mobilized more than USD 360 million for Ukraine, including the purchase of more than 28 million doses of vaccines. This allowed us to vaccinate about 40 percent of Ukraine’s population, including more than five million people from the most vulnerable groups. The Ministry of Health has also been able to create a new cold chain infrastructure for storing and transporting vaccines to all regions of the country, which includes refrigerator vehicles. This is a significant achievement, especially now, against the backdrop of the devastating consequences in the health sector as a result of russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
As part of the project “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination”, the country has begun systematic replacement of vaccine storage equipment at the regional level. A modern cold chain vaccine storage system has been created — medical facilities and disease control and prevention centers have been provided with WHO-prequalified refrigerators and freezers — a total of 5,167 units worth about USD 10 million. In the current conditions of martial law, a critical shortage of electricity, and the accompanying extreme temperatures, the purchased refrigerators and freezers can maintain the required temperature without a power supply for up to four days.
16 refrigerator trucks will join the fleet of Ukrvaktsyna, a state-owned enterprise of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine responsible for the logistics and delivery of vaccines at the national level.
“The new vehicles will allow us to deliver vaccines more quickly and reliably to all regions of Ukraine, including remote and hard-to-reach areas. This means that even more people will be able to receive timely vaccinations, which will help reduce the incidence of diseases and improve the overall health of our population. All new vehicles are qualified and ready to fulfill the tasks of the Ministry of Health. They are equipped with modern systems to maintain the required temperature during transportation of vaccines, which is critical to maintaining their effectiveness and safety, especially in the abnormal heat we have seen this summer. Our employees have undergone special training and are ready to ensure the highest level of professionalism in the performance of their duties.”
All activities of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine supported by the World Bank are aimed at ensuring access to high-quality, qualified and reliable medical care for all Ukrainians at all levels.
Thanks to the “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination” project and additional funding, 769 power generators of various capacities were purchased for medical institutions in all regions of Ukraine. In addition, the project purchased and delivered 24 modern computed tomography scanners for hospitals in 16 regions of Ukraine and 32 ultrasound machines. Another 12 CT scanners, 11 angiography systems for neurosurgery, 50 kits for decontamination of epidemically hazardous medical waste, more than 1,300 pieces of laboratory equipment for regional centers for disease control and prevention, and 300 anesthesia and breathing machines are being delivered.
For reference: The total amount of funding from the World Bank for the joint projects with the Ministry of Health “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination” and “Health Enhancement and Lifesaving” (HEAL) is more than USD 800 million, of which the COVID-19 project is USD 331.4 million (of which USD 302 million or 91% has already been used). USD 241.2 million was used to purchase vaccines against COVID-19. The rest was used to strengthen the capacity of Ukraine's public health system to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks promptly, as well as to strengthen the capacity of healthcare facilities to diagnose and treat. One of the key components is aimed at developing a modern vaccine logistics system in compliance with the cold chain requirements, including the transportation of immunobiological products at the proper temperature.