THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has explained how they disposed expired vaccines from hospitals and clinics in the country.
Deputy Secretary for the MHMS, Dr Nemia Bainivalu, explained that in the press conference last Friday he said when vaccines expire at hospitals and clinics, the next step is for MHMS to remove them from the health facilities.
“With regards to expired vaccines, the next process is the removal of those vaccines from the clinics.”
But he said prior to the removal exercise, MHMS has to record the expired vaccines.
After the record of these vaccines – their expiration dates and numbers – they must be taken to provincial health or secondary medical stores at the respective provincial capital for proper disposal.
Dr Bainivalu said MHMS is doing this because some rural clinics do not have proper facilities for vaccine disposal.
He said in most cases, clinics that have problems with transportation of their expired vaccines to the provincial health centre have to dispose their expired vaccines themselves.
Dr Bainivalu added that to dispose expired vaccines from rural clinics, a trained zone supervisor will provide technical advice and training for the nurse to do a proper disposal of the vaccines in compliance with health and medical procedures.
“The supervising zone is obligated to work with the rural clinics to make sure they store their expired vaccines well.
“The ministry is providing the training for the zone supervisor.
“Every rural clinic has been zoned up by MHMS and they are looked after by the zone supervisor who takes advice from the ministry to do such work for the rural nurses,” he added.
Dr Bainivalu said MHMS encourages parents to take their children for their vaccination on the specified dates so vaccines can be used before their expiration dates.
“This is important because the vaccines are sent according to the size of the population that depends on a clinic for medical assistance.
By LACHLAN EDDIE HOE
Solomon Star, Honiara
