Central installs generator for refrigeration of medicine

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THE installation of a new generator and cold room for keeping vaccines safe at the Central government headquarters in Port Moresby will be a key part of a immunisation in the province, an official says.
Tapini LLG president and chairman of Central health committee Keleto Kope said that during the commissioning of a generator at the headquarters in Port Moresby yesterday.
The generator was purchased and installed at a cost of US$10,000 (K34,364) through a partnership between the World Health Organisation, Unicef, the Department of Health and the Central government.
“The generator set was purchased purposely for vaccines that are currently being kept at the provincial vaccine store because a lot of vaccines were wasted due to the continuous electricity blackouts in the capital city,” Kope said.
“The vaccines require certain temperature to maintain their potency and the power blackouts have resulted in a lot of wastage.”
Kope commended WHO, the Health Department, Unicef and the Central health division for working together.
“One of the major assets that we need is the cold chain for routine vaccinations in our province and the generator makes this possible,” he said. “There will always be a back-up when the power goes off.
“So the new generator set and cold room facilities will now be the backbone for routine immunisation in the province.”
Manager for expanded immunisation programme at the Health Department Dr Mathias Bauri said the Government through the department, WHO and Unicef were working with provincial governments to ensure 22 generator-sets and cold-room facilities were installed and built in selected provinces, particularly for immunisation.
Bauri said Central was the first province to receive it.