DUSHANBE, June 21, 2013, Asia-Plus – On Friday June 21, UNICEF Country Office in Tajikistan together with the Ministry of Health of Tajikistan and the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe inaugurated two cold rooms for safe vaccine storage in the central warehouse of the Republican Center of Immunoprophylaxis, UNICEF Country Office in Tajikistan said.

The cold rooms have been procured in the framework of the Russian Federation donation in the amount of US$ 934,600.00 to the UNICEF Country Office in Tajikistan to support the National Immunization Days against Diphtheria in 2012.  Around 5 million Somoni was allocated by the Government of Tajikistan to conduct the Diphtheria Campaign in the country.  With generous contribution of the Government of the Russian Federation UNICEF was able to procure and distribute 4,600,000 auto-disabled syringes and 54,125 safety boxes that were used during the Diphtheria Campaign.

This grant was also used to procure two 30 m³ and two 10 m³ cold rooms to ensure safe vaccine storage capacity.  In agreement with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan and geographical accessibility of regions, Rasht and Shugnan districts have been selected for installation of 10 m³ cold rooms in the district centers of immunoprophylaxis and two 30 m³ cold rooms to be erected in the central warehouse of the Republican Center of Immunoprophylaxis.  “Installation of additional cold rooms in Tajikistan will significantly increase the capacity of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan at central and regional levels to ensure safe vaccine storage and provision of high quality vaccines to children of Tajikistan”, said Laylee Moshiri, UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan.

In addition to procurement of cold rooms, UNICEF was able to procure and deliver 170 ice-lined refrigerators for further dissemination among health facilities across Tajikistan based on the needs of the facilities, more than 200 power stabilizers for proper functioning of the refrigerators and more than 200 electronic thermometers for temperature tracking in the refrigerators.

This was the second inauguration of cold rooms within the three days. On June 19, UNICEF together with representatives from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan and representatives of the local authorities of Rasht district inaugurated a 10 m³ cold room in the District Center of Immunoprophylaxis, serving 7 districts in the Rasht valley.

Nowadays, almost all immunization centers at regional and district levels are fully equipped with cold chain, ensuring safe vaccine storage and management. UNICEF will continue to seek additional resources for provision of cold chain equipment for health facilities of the country and enhancing the capacity of health workers in safe vaccine handling.

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has been working in Tajikistan since 1993.