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EU-PRIME Delivers Cold Chain Immunisation Equipment to Gombe State

Nigeria Today
4/4/08

The European Union-Partnership to Reinforce Immunisation Efficiency (EU-PRIME) project, has procured cold chain equipment for Gombe State's immunization programme worth N90 million. On Thursday 3 April 2008, a commissioning ceremony of the cold room and handing over ceremony of solar freezers will be carried out in Gombe State in the presence of the Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, as well as officials of the National Planning Commission and the Delegation of the European Commission to Nigeria.

The EU-PRIME project has been supporting immunization in Gombe since 2002 and has provided extensive training for health workers, managers of immunization at local government and state levels and Journalists for Immunisation Network.

The equipment which includes solar refrigerators, cold room, ice lined refrigerators, ice pack freezers and vertical hanging thermometers are part of a package of cold chain equipment delivered in the six states of Abia, Cross River, Plateau, Osun, Kebbi and Gombe at the total cost of N860 million. The equipment will ensure proper storage of vaccines and will help to guarantee vaccine potency. The EU-PRIME project is for eight and half years (September 2001 - June 2009).

Its goal is to reduce the burden of vaccine preventable diseases including polio in Nigeria. The purpose of the project is ensuring that safe and efficient vaccination services are permanently available in selected communities in the 23 states. In preparation for the conclusion of the EU-PRIME support to Gombe later in 2008, the States and Local Governments are expected to continue and expand their support for Immunisation and Primary Health Care to ensure that the gains from the EU-PRIME project are sustained.

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