By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The Cross River State Government has entered into a strategic partnership with Blackfrog Technologies Limited, an Indian company specializing in medical-grade refrigeration systems used for immunization, vaccine traceability, biological specimen storage, and pharmaceutical logistics, as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

The Technical Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Universal Health Coverage, Dr. David Ushie, announced the partnership in Calabar on Tuesday.

He described the collaboration with Blackfrog as a major step toward improving vaccine safety, distribution efficiency, and primary healthcare delivery across the state’s 18 Local Government Areas.

According to him, Governor Otu established the Office of Universal Health Coverage in 2024, after which the state spent seven months developing operational frameworks, a contact centre, and coordination systems located along Mary Slessor Avenue, Calabar.

“This partnership began when we activated the centre,” Dr. Ushie explained. “Blackfrog is a major private-sector driver of universal health coverage because of their expertise in vaccine safety, vaccine logistics, last-mile distribution, and other technologies that support healthcare promotion at the primary level.”

Dr. Ushie also revealed that Cross River is the second state in Nigeria, after Kaduna, to adopt drone technology for vaccine delivery.

He said the drones have been flying across the northern and central regions of the state, helping deepen access to life-saving vaccines.

“We were the second after Kaduna to introduce drone technology to advance vaccine penetration. Since deployment, the drones have been flying from Northern Cross River down to the last edge of the Central zone, improving access and efficiency,” he added.

Commending Blackfrog Technologies, Dr. Ushie highlighted a new innovation known as Emvolio, a last-mile active vaccine refrigerator.

He said deploying the device in Cross River would sustain the state’s strong record in vaccine coverage.

“Blackfrog has new technologies we believe can help us maintain our number one position in vaccine coverage. The last-mile envelope refrigerator is a game-changing device that will strengthen our universal health coverage efforts,” he said.

Chief Operating Officer of Blackfrog Technologies, Donson D’Souza, described Emvolio as a portable active cooling device designed for the safe delivery of vaccines and biologicals such as blood, serums, and viral cultures, which require strict temperature regulation.

He noted that the device is specifically built to reach remote areas where conventional cold-chain systems often fail. D’Souza added that Emvolio is compatible with foldable solar panels that provide backup power and extend the device’s operational capacity.

“These devices can be deployed in hard-to-reach areas where vaccination is limited due to multiple challenges,” he said.

“They are solar-compatible, and we also supply foldable solar panels that fit into a suitcase and can be used to charge the device. This ensures vaccines remain within the required 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for over 20 hours, guaranteeing potency and extending reach’ he said.

The partnership is expected to significantly boost the state’s immunization capabilities and enhance healthcare access across rural communities.