TOKYO: Toyota has build its first vehicle with a dedicated refrigerator for transporting vaccines.
The Toyota Land Cruiser 78 serves as the base for the build and is equipped with the B Medical Systems' CF850 vaccine refrigerator.
The refrigerator has a storage capacity of 396 litres, or 400 vaccine packages. With its independent battery, the refrigerator can be operated for 16 hours without a power supply. It can be charged by the vehicle while driving and from an external power source when parked.
The customised Land Cruiser was the result of collaboration by Toyota and its subsidiary Toyota Tsusho Corp and B Medical Systems S.à r.l., which supplied the vaccine refrigerator.
The vehicle had recently obtained Performance, Quality and Safety (PQS) prequalification for quality of medical devices and equipment as set by the World Health Organisation. This is the first refrigerated vehicle for vaccines in the world that has obtained PQS prequalification.
Medical devices and equipment which have obtained PQS prequalification meet the equipment selection standards of agencies related to the United Nations and leading NGOs and charity organisations.
Also, it is easier for developing countries without their own qualification system for medical devices and equipment to receive support for transportation equipment procurement by using PQS as the qualification standard, and effective use of vaccines can be expected.
