HEALTH: DHL, Gavi aim to improve delivery of life-saving vaccines

Deutsche Post DHL Group and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced a global partnership to help improve vaccine supply chains in Gavi-supported countries.

 
As immunisation programmes expand to include new, life-saving vaccines and strive to reach more people, often in remote areas, they are increasingly constrained by outdated supply chains.
Over the next three years, the new partnership will be vital in helping to provide countries with efficient supply chain solutions to improve health care delivery. Deutsche Post DHL Group’s logistics expertise in life sciences and healthcare combined with the global DHL transportation network will help countries overcome challenges, and make the vaccine supply chain more efficient. This can help countries increase immunisation coverage, reduce vaccine wastage and better ensure vaccine availability and potency and will ultimately help reduce child mortality.
Kenya is one of the first countries to benefit from the new partnership, as the use of DHL’s own global transportation network will improve the speed and reliability of vaccine deliveries to hospitals, clinics and medical professionals in the country.
“Robust vaccine supply chains are a vital part of building strong health systems, so that children, parents, and communities can be reached wherever they live with life-saving vaccines,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “DHL’s expertise in healthcare delivery and its footprint in sub-Saharan Africa will help the partnership develop and test new innovative solutions aimed at increasing the health impact in Gavi-supported countries.”