The initiative, dubbed Post4Health, aims to improve healthcare access through timely delivery of health supplies through specialised cold chain transportation. The value proposition of the service aims at enhancing cold logistics with newly integrated vehicles operating last-mile delivery of critical medicines and vaccines, ensuring they remain in optimal condition. Speaking at the launch, BotswanaPost CEO, Cornelius Ramatlhakwane, said posts globally were facing challenges in their traditional business models, calling for an urgent need to diversify their offerings and propositions to customers.
This, he said, ranged from climate change, and the need to improve services in sectors such as healthcare. “Posts are facing new challenges caused by climate change, higher global temperatures and the increase in demand for medicine, leading to an inadequate distribution of cold chain transportation resources,” he said. “Post4Health, therefore, provides important support to post offices to help them meet delivery challenges and ensure temperature-controlled logistics and the provision of services at very low temperatures.” Post4Health was created during the early stages of COVID-19 vaccine deployment and delivery when countries needed ultra-cold chain equipment.
However, very few posts already had cold or ultra-cold chain logistics in place. With over three billion people living in rural or isolated areas, the successful delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine was arguably the greatest logistical challenge ever faced by humankind. Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Communications and Innovation, David Tshere, further said the Post4Health service aligned with key national development areas of interest, highlighting the need to improve healthcare access in the country. “Botswana’s National Development Plan and Vision 2036 outline a clear commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure, expanding social services, and ensuring no one is left behind,” he said. “The Post4Health initiative aligns with these national priorities by ensuring that essential medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies reach all corners of the country—particularly our most underserved communities,” he noted.
