By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Feb. 1: The Government of Japan has provided a grant assistance to strengthen vaccine cold chain system in Nepal through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In a joint statement issued on Monday, it has been informed that this critical support will help Nepal deploy vaccines, including those against COVID-19, throughout the nation.
Under its grant, Japan has provided high-quality facilities including nine walk-in-coolers, 38 solar-driven vaccine refrigerators, 1,109 long-range vaccine carriers and 53 cold boxes to ensure effective COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Nepal.

The grant also supports human resource development for operation and maintenance of cold chain equipment as well as monitoring for effective management of routine and COVID-19 vaccines by UNICEF.
“Nepal is currently experiencing the third wave of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant, which makes the vaccine drive one of the top priorities for the Government of Nepal,” said Kikuta Yutaka Ambassador of Japan to Nepal.

“Appropriate vaccine storage is crucial in the vaccine campaign and this grant aims to drastically increase the capacity for storage and distribution of vaccines across the country.”
“The provided walk-in-coolers are transportable and can be installed relatively quickly and inexpensively, the solar-driven refrigerators help tackle storage issues faced by regions with unstable electricity, and the carriers and boxes enable vaccine distribution to communities unreachable by a vehicle,” added envoy Kikuta.

“I hope this grant can expedite the process in reaching every person waiting for the vaccine, and I sincerely hope the people of Nepal to regain normal, safe days, overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic as soon as possible.”
“We are grateful to the Government of Japan for its continued support to Nepal in critical efforts to safely and effectively deliver and store vaccines across the country, particularly at a time when Nepal is battling high numbers of COVID-19 infections during the current wave,” said Elke Wisch, UNICEF Representative in Nepal.

“The cold chain equipment provided through Japan’s generous support will not only support the Government of Nepal’s current COVID-19 vaccination drive, but also reinforce critical routine immunisation services to protect children against main childhood diseases. A strengthened vaccination system will further contribute to ensuring that the health system is robust enough in case of future crises, so that children, families, and communities across Nepal can be protected.”