Namibia: United States Supports Health Ministry to Store and Transport Life-Saving Medicines

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The Ambassador of the United States of America to Namibia, Randy Berry, handed over 26 mobile freezers and 21 temperature monitoring systems to the Ministry of Health and Social Services on March 28, 2023, at the Central Medical Stores in Windhoek. The equipment to the value of N$1.2 million helps the Health Ministry to reduce spoilage of medication by maintaining the required storage temperature.

The mobile freezers can easily be charged by a car battery and maintain a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius. These freezers enable the Health Ministry to transport vaccines and other medicines throughout the country without affecting their quality.

The monitoring devices will be installed at key health facilities in all 14 regions of the country to monitor the temperature of warehouses and containers where medicines are kept. Should the storage temperature exceed the required range, an audible alarm goes off and a message is sent via SMS to the team. This allows health staff to timely rectify the situation before any medication is wasted. The installation of all monitoring devices will be completed by April 9, 2023.

“With this equipment, the Ministry of Health and Social Services will be able to cut costs, improve the management of medicines, and save more lives,” highlighted Ambassador Berry at the ceremony. Ben Nangombe, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services responded, “I want to assure you that we value your support and will use this equipment accordingly to ensure that our public is getting quality vaccines.”

The mobile freezers and temperature monitoring devices were procured with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Global Health Supply Chain Program (GHSC-PSM).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Namibia.