Within the framework of cooperation between the Government of Japan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Paraguay, the project “Strengthening cold network systems for the safe management of vaccines against el SARS-CoV-2”, implemented in support of the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI) of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPBS).
The event will take place tomorrow, November 29, at 9:00 a.m., in the Cristal room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and will include the participation of the Minister of Health, Julio Borba; the Vice Minister of Comprehensive Health Care, Hernán Martínez Acosta; the Vice Minister of Rectory and Surveillance, Lida Sosa; the director of the PAI, Héctor Castro; the Japanese ambassador in Paraguay, Nakatani Yoshie; the representative of UNICEF, Rafael Obregón, other national authorities and the 18 Sanitary Regions
The objective of this project was to strengthen the Government’s capacity to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in order to achieve universal health coverage in the country. In this context, 973 health services, including the National Vaccine Center (CNV), regional vaccine warehouses, hospitals, family health units, among others, have benefited from cold chain equipment for the storage of vaccines against COVID-19 and for the doses of the regular EPI schedule.
The equipment delivered consisted of: 5 cold rooms that have been delivered to the CNV and to the regional vaccine warehouses in the departments of Itapúa, Central and Asunción, with an increase in vaccine storage capacity to more than 1,200,000 doses, 147 refrigerators delivered to hospitals and USF, 15 ultra-low temperature freezers distributed to the CNV and warehouses in Concepción, Coronel Oviedo, Ciudad del Este, Hernandarias, San Juan Bautista, San Estanislao, Encarnación and J. Augusto Saldívar, 13 refrigerators and freezers for solar energy operation delivered to health services in Chaco, where the supply of electrical energy is unstable, 10 monitors for the Remote Temperature Monitoring System of Cold Rooms for the CNV and the stores of Itapúa, Central and Asunción, 2920 electronic recorders Of temperature.
In addition, this cooperation project contemplated the training of 1,129 EPI health professionals and 212 technical officials from regional and district vaccine stores in the use and maintenance of cold chain storage equipment, to ensure its durability. and in this way guarantee the adequate conservation of EPI vaccines.
On the other hand, a mapping of the cold chain at the national level and the systematization of the experience were carried out to contribute to the improvement of vaccine management, the strengthening of the cold chain, the collection capacity, the analysis of data and the formulation of technical policies and regulations.
These actions have made it possible to strengthen the EPI by increasing vaccine storage capacity in the different health regions of the country, facilitating the decentralization of vaccine distribution services, as well as the vaccination services provided by the MSPBS, with the involvement of local governments.
The project was carried out thanks to the financial cooperation of the Government of Japan to the Republic of Paraguay for the value of US$ 2,391,000, with which it is estimated that more than 5 million people throughout the country are benefited with a better access to vaccination.
Support for the deployment of the vaccine against COVID-19
On the occasion, the report on the real-time assessment of UNICEF support for the deployment of the vaccine against COVID-19 and the strengthening of the immunization program carried out in seven countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, from the which our country was part of.
This assessment highlights the support that UNICEF Paraguay provided to strengthen the cold chain of the health system, being significant for the benefit of all the health regions of the country. The report also leaves recommendations to continue strengthening the regular immunization program and primary health care.
