In Madagascar, UNICEF is working to make COVID-19 vaccines available for all

UNICEF is supporting the government of Madagascar in its goal to vaccinate 9 million people by the end of 2022.

In the global effort to vaccinate populations against the COVID-19 virus, UNICEF is primarily responsible for the procurement and shipment of vaccines, both to Madagascar and then onwards to 300 vaccination centres throughout the country. During these shipments, UNICEF also ensures that the vaccines are kept at the correct temperature. Keeping this recommended temperature stable throughout the vaccine’s transportation is known as the cold chain.

As the single largest buyer of vaccines in the world, UNICEF brings great expertise to these processes. Since May 2021, the organisation has been working with Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health to ensure that the country was prepared to receive and transport the COVID-19 vaccines. To date, more than four million doses have arrived. Storage areas have been equipped to maintain the cold chain, this includes two refrigerated containers and six ultra-cold chain equipment for the Pfizer vaccines.

In Madagascar, basic health centres run by the government provide 95% of the COVID-19 vaccinations. Many of these sites are in rural areas and are difficult to reach by road. To guarantee equitable access for all Malagasy people, UNICEF is supporting the delivery of the vaccines by air in nine districts covering 158 basic health centres.

The number of health centres equipped with solar refrigerators increased from 1,622 to 1,973 in 2021. "Last year, UNICEF provided 793 solar refrigerators with funding from the vaccine alliance, GAVI, with another 130 donated by the World Bank,” says Djariatou Sow Sall, an immunization specialist at UNICEF. “Together with the government and our partners, we working to ensure quality vaccines are available to all – to protect against COVID-19 and other common diseases.”

Nearly two million people in Madagascar have so far received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Some 2,600,000 active doses remain accessible with Madagascar expected to receive a further one million doses by the end of 2022.