TO enhance the accessibility of essential medical services, particularly vaccination, UNICEF, with funds from the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) COVID-19 vaccine Delivery Support (CDS), on Friday handed over two vaccination boats to the Ministry of Health to benefit children and families in the riverain communities of Regions One and Eight.

According to a press release from UNICEF, the vaccine boats, which are the first of its kind in Guyana and Latin America and the Caribbean, are equipped with solar refrigerators to store vaccines at required temperatures, life jackets, 200Hps engines and retractable beds to transfer emergency patients, including pregnant women, to health facilities.

Abdul Saleh, UNICEF Operations Manager, during the handover, said that the initiative comes as part of UNICEF’s vision to ensure that life-saving vaccines are accessible to all children and families, especially those in remote areas.
“These vaccine boats are a testament to our commitment to the children and families of Guyana. It embodies our dedication to ensuring that every child in Guyana has equal access to vaccines and life-saving medical care, regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status,” Saleh said.
The boats will serve communities, including the villages of Kamwata, Parakeese, Karaburi, Santa Rosa, Waramuri Islands, Acquero, and Koko in Region One, and Wipa, Sandhill, Kaibarupai, Catchcow, Bishop Landing, Salawoo, Cheleang, and Orinduk in Region Eight.

According to Saleh, the boats were built by local contractors and designed collaboratively by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to suit the specific needs, blending maternal health priorities with immunisation services in Guyana.
Receiving the boats, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo, Director General of the Ministry of Health and Member of Parliament, thanked UNICEF for its continued partnership in ensuring vulnerable communities have access to essential medical services.

“Our mandate has been [sic] clear, to do whatever is necessary to bring healthcare in the hinterland on par with what is on the coast,” Dr Mahadeo said.

He said that while the ministry has increased training of medical professionals in the riverain communities, transportation remained a challenge; however, the vaccine boats will contribute tremendously to providing medical services to the riverain populations in Regions One and Eight. The boats were inspected and certified as safe for transport by the maritime authority