Enhancing Cold Chain Management with Varo and PogoLT

The Varo and PogoLT apps are transforming cold chain management in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Bayelsa State and eHealth Africa’s Cold Chain Data Advocacy Platform collaborated on a 3-month pilot across two Local Government Areas (LGAs) to equip healthcare personnel at the state, LGA, and health facility levels with skills to make the most of these innovations.

The pilot demonstrated how these applications can advance the effort to maintain optimal conditions for vaccines and temperature-sensitive medical supplies, safeguarding their efficacy for the people of Bayelsa.

"We prioritized establishing a sustainable Cold Chain Performance Monitoring system in Bayelsa," stated Tahir Buhari, Project Manager at eHealth Africa.

Empowering Healthcare Workers through Capacity Building and Feedback

Technological advancements have the most impact on health care systems when people are ready and able to deploy them, and as such, capacity-building was a cornerstone of the pilot program. Routine Immunization providers at Primary Healthcare Centers, State Cold Chain Officers, state technicians were trained for informed and effective use of Varo and PogoLT in monitoring and maintaining cold chain equipment. eHealth Africa is working with the Varo team to digitize these training materials to ensure they are accessible for any future deployment.

Participant accounts indicated the efficacy of the training and positive sentiment toward future use:

- Simon Alu from Nedugo PHC remarked: "It has changed temperature monitoring and control because it gives me real-time data analysis for decision-making."

- Grace Opomu from Okaka Primary Healthcare Center stated, "It has given more visibility to temperature monitoring in the Cold Chain Equipment in my facility," highlighting the enhanced monitoring capabilities provided by the technology.

- Kporoi Mark Pertty from Kalaba Primary Healthcare Center observed, "Daily charting is better and can be compared to the extracted report," reflecting on the improved accuracy and reliability of temperature monitoring.

- Perewari Preye Otis, Bayelsa State Cold Chain Officer, was broadly optimistic about impact, stating "It will monitor vaccines' potency at all levels of the CCE with the real-time report from the service delivery points.”

Many other participants highlighted the transformative effect of the Varo and PogoLT applications on their daily operations and the broader healthcare delivery system in Bayelsa. The pilot program's success has sparked discussions about improvements in healthcare service delivery across the state through deployment of these applications to other LGAs.

A Promising Future for Bayelsa State

The successful pilot program demonstrates the promise of integrating technology into healthcare service delivery across Bayelsa State. Participants agreed that these applications do not just hold promise to improve cold chain management: they show feasibility of integrating technology toward broad improvements in healthcare delivery. With plans to expand the program, Bayelsa is well positioned to leverage these and other technologies to ensure the well-being of its citizens, setting a precedent for others to follow.

Update (September 2024):

The Bayelsa State scale-up training was complete in August of 2024. Varo and Pogo LT will be used across all 8 LGAs in Bayelsa, covering over 220 health facilities.