DHL boosts healthcare with cold-chain solutions

By  Chioma Obinna

The nation’s courier and healthcare system received a boost weekend with the latest investment of DHL Express’ into cold chain solutions.  The cold chain vans, officially launched in Lagos   would offer solutions to the movement of sensitive products ranging from vaccines, insulin preparations, drugs and soil samples without losing its virility.

Speaking at the officially launch of the cold chain facility and vehicles, the Managing Director of  DHL International Nigeria limited, Mr. Micheal Druce who noted that the investment was focussed in the field of temperature controlled logistics explained that the facility meets all requirements in terms of temperature control, security and handling

According to Druce, its services cover the range of frozen from 20 degrees CELSIUS, refrigerated 2- 8 degrees Celsius as well as controlled ambient products of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius.

To ensure that these cold chain items are delivered intact, he also disclosed that the organisations has also acquired a fleet of refrigerated vehicles designed for the movement of cold chain products thus ensuring the maintenance of the integrity of such fragile goods throughout the transportation cycle.

“These vehicles, he noted, Will compliment DHL’s three cold storage facilities at its West African aviation hub and air side gateway and its warehouse at Apapa. The two cold storage facilities at the international airport are designed for the temporary storage of temperature controlled products inj transit from Lagos to other destinations within and outside the country”.

The company has also developed a range of temperature controlled packaging that ensure safe and compliant transportation in cooled, deep frozen or protected ambient states for varying distribution times.”

Giving overview of the cold chain facility and cold chain vehicles, the DHL, Ground Operations Manager Nigeria, Mr. Morgan Uloko said the facility would eliminate challenges of cold chain solution in the country as well as save lives.

According to him, when most of these cold chain items are not delivered with their virility intact, they become very dangerous to the body. “It is tremendous, eliminate damages on the vaccines or items that needed cold chains. Providing solution to the cold chain problems in the health sector. Ensuring the logistics of getting vaccines that are needed in the right quantity and at the right locations are on time to save lives.” He explained that out of the vans already in the country, would be stationed in Lagos for adjacent states, two in Abuja and its adjacent states, and two in Port Harcourt respectively.

“Even if we have to travel by road for several hours, the integrity of the parcels in the cold chain items are safe that is the beauty of it. If the engine packs up all we need to do is to get the van to the closest electrical means of 15 arms socket to plug it. The mechanic can take 10 hours to fix the engine but the cooling chamber will be working. A  customer will forgive you for delivering cold chain items longer than the committed service period as long as the integrity of the items are maintained but will never forgive you if you do it even in 24 hours and the vaccines are dead. Because there is a particular temperature by which they must travel, if it exceeds that temperature, it gets to the destination already dead, if you use it on a human being it is like putting poison on someone”.

Uloko said each of the vans has capacity of 500kg while the two counters being expected in couple of weeks into the country has 3.5 tonnes which is 3,500kg each. “The moment the items are in the van no matter the temperature they will be safe. Again, the cooling chambers are regulatable. All you need to do is to regulate it to the temperature the customers wants it to be”.