The Ministry of Health, yesterday, received 111 refrigerators that will support mass storage of vaccines in various health centres in the country.The refrigerators worth Rwf 180 million, were received by the Minister of Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho, from USAID in partnership with UNICEF.“The kind of partnership we have with USAID and UNICEF is exemplary and very beneficial; we put the health of Rwandan children at the forefront and are working towards a day when not even one Rwandan child will die from immunisable diseases,” Binagwaho said.“The major killer of children in Rwanda was pneumonia, but after the introduction of Prevnar Pneumococcal Vaccine three years ago, child mortality under the age of two was reduced by a quarter.”MOH statistics indicate that less than 1 in 13 children die before their fifth birthday, diarrhoea being the most deadly.“Now that pneumonia has been controlled, diarrhoea remains the major killer of children. But by May this year, we shall introduce a new vaccine, Rotavirus, which will help to reduce the number of children who die because of diarrhoea,” the Minister said.Noala Skinner, UNICEF Country Representative, said that the delivery of the refrigerators was timely, as the copuntry is gearing for the introduction of another important vaccine.“Promoting child survival has always been at the heart of what UNICEF does and I am pleased that these refrigerators will help health facilities ensure that the vaccines provided to children are maintained in the best possible environment,” she said.“With the launch of rotavirus vaccine, and the multiple efforts to support good hygiene and nutrition and overall optimum early childhood development, I am confident that this will soon be a story of the past.”The Director of Kajevuba Health Centre, Jean de Dieu Kubwimana, said that the refrigerators will help solve challenges of inadequate storage facilities faced by many health centres.“We receive large quantities of vaccines and yet the storage facilities are inadequate, which requires us to store them in the district hospitals which are sometimes far away. With the new fridges, we shall be able to store enough vaccines at the health centres,” Kazevuba told The New Times.The refrigerators will be distributed to over 27 health centres across the country.
