Uganda Launches Initiative to Deliver Vaccines Directly to Health Facilities (Vaccine Last Mile Delivery)
National Medical Stores (NMS) with support from Government of Uganda, launched a transformative Vaccine Last-Mile Delivery (VLMD) Initiative on Wednesday 30th April 2025, aiming to ensure life-saving vaccines reach even the most remote communities. Dubbed “Taking Vaccines to The Last Mile,” the program was launched at NMS headquarters in Kajjansi by the Minister of Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, marking a pivotal shift in the country’s immunization strategy.
Previously, NMS delivered vaccines only to district vaccine storage centers, leaving health facilities to arrange their own transportation, a system that left 85% of facilities relying on unreliable self-pickup methods. This gap often led to stockouts, wastage, and missed vaccinations, particularly in underserved areas. Under the new model, NMS will now deliver routine vaccines directly to health facilities nationwide every month, ensuring consistent access and reducing logistical barriers.
The rollout began earlier in April in the Busoga region. The region has significant number of zero dose children (more than 17,644 children) and therefore this initiative will increase access to vaccination services in the region. The VLMD initiative tackles longstanding challenges, including limited transportation, cold-chain maintenance failures, and inconsistent prioritization of vaccine distribution by local authorities.
Dr. Isabirye Fredrick, the City Health Officer for Jinja, during his remarks emphasized the challenge of temperature sensitivity of the vaccines which are difficult to transport without the needed specialised vehicles. He acknowledged that the VLMD initiative is a big milestone in solving that challenge. ‘Today is a milestone that we now have specialised vehicles to transport vaccines”.
The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng during her remarks at the launch and flag off of the VLMD stated that the Ministry of Health has received various reports from supportive supervision initiatives about the challenges lower level health facilities face in accessing immunization commodities resulting in frequent stock-outs and vaccine wastages.
“This initiative will strengthen Uganda’s immunization program by eliminating stockouts, preventing wastage, and reaching zero-dose children who have never received a single vaccine,” said Dr. Aceng during the launch. Her remarks underscored the urgency of addressing inequities in healthcare access, especially for hard-to-reach populations.
The key goals of VLMD include improving equity in access, minimizing vaccine spoilage, enhancing stock transparency, and strengthening cold-chain management through trained personnel and temperature-controlled delivery fleets.
NMS will leverage its existing infrastructure, including 20 specialized refrigeration vehicles and technical teams, to maintain vaccine potency during transit and at health facilities. NMS is commitment to universal vaccine coverage, and no Ugandan should be left behind in accessing critical immunization services.
This successful roll out has been heavily attributed to the funding and support from Government of Uganda, Gavi, World bank, World Health Organisation and Unicef.