T&T Strengthens Immunisation Systems With Canadian Health Equipment Donation
From solar-powered refrigerators to real-time temperature alerts.
Trinidad and Tobago is modernising how it protects the public from preventable diseases. A new donation of monitoring devices from Canada is the latest step in a regional push to strengthen immunisation systems and prevent the return of diseases like measles.
Trinidad and Tobago’s vaccine storage is getting a high-tech boost.
Through a donation from Canada, new temperature monitoring devices and support materials were distributed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Minister of Health Dr. Lackram Bodoe says these new devices will complement the 62 solar-powered refrigerators installed in 2022. These tools are critical for reducing spoilage risks and ensuring vaccine security across all local health centres.
« These tools allow us to track vaccine storage conditions in real time, they alert staff when temperatures move outside safe limits so that corrective action can be taken immediately. This reduces the risk of vaccine spoilage and helps ensure that the vaccines administered to our population retain their full effectiveness. »
High Commissioner for Canada to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Ryan Callan, explained that these donations extend beyond Trinidad and Tobago to several other countries across the region.
« That is how Canada is providing 5,000 units of cold chain equipment like the temperature monitoring devices we are passing over today to 18 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including here in Trinidad and Tobago. »
The Health Minister added that this equipment ensures vaccines are properly stored and safe to use, providing much needed assurance to parents.
« They want to know that the systems behind immunisation are being actively monitored and that if issues arise they are identified and addressed quickly. Trust in vaccines is built on reliability and the assurance that every step from storage to administration is being managed to a high standard. »
Meanwhile, the vaccine and cold chain management training is designed to strengthen capacity, boost efficiency, and promote resilience among healthcare workers.
« Beginning here, the RHA and expanding across the country, this programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of our clinical and public health staff in two critical areas: cold chain management and fever and rash surveillance. These are frontline outbreak prevention measures. Cold chain management, of course, ensures that vaccines remain safe and effective from the point of storage to the point of administration, and fever and rash surveillance allows us to detect early signs of diseases such as measles, investigate quickly and take action before transmission occurs. »
Minister Bodoe stated that these tools build on ongoing efforts across the Caribbean and the Americas to strengthen immunisation systems. He emphasised that these advancements are vital for preventing the re-emergence of diseases that were previously under control.
