Press Release

Collaboration is the key to achieving population immunity

Cape Town, 02 August 2021

To help ramp up the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in South Africa, especially during the third wave, the Cipla Foundation has built innovative, movable vaccination stations. These vaccination stations, co-funded by various partners, will be deployed into various local communities to ensure equitable and convenient access to the vaccine. The Cipla Foundation is known for bringing primary healthcare into the hearts of communities to ensure a dignified and convenient experience for patients.

The first vaccination stations were deployed at Khayelitsha Hospital, Eerste River Hospital and Community Clinics at Vanguard and Khayelitsha Site B. Each of these vaccination stations, facilitated by the Cipla Foundation, have the capacity to vaccinate up to 300 people per day, helping to decongest these healthcare facilities. 

These purpose-built vaccination stations are compliant with social distancing requirements, and provide cover and shelter for people waiting in queues before and after vaccination. These modular units integrate an administration point, where a person’s data is captured and verified, and a vaccination point that facilitates the easy and swift vaccination process.

“We are excited about the deployment of these new vaccination stations in the Western Cape and are exploring possible further deployment in other provinces. We stand together to fight the spread of this pandemic and support the National Department of Health (NDoH) in achieving its vaccination targets in the country. These innovative vaccination stations are aligned with Cipla’s ethos of ‘caring for life’ by providing primary healthcare solutions where they are needed most,” said Paul Miller, CEO of Cipla South Africa and Cipla Foundation trustee.

The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, said: “The Western Cape Government remains committed to rolling out a world-class vaccination programme, providing each resident with a vaccine opportunity in a safe and conveniently located setting. We cannot, however, do this alone which is why I am greatly appreciative of the support provided by the private sector. These pop-up vaccination sites ensure that we can introduce agility into our vaccine roll-out programme and support the rollout particularly in our most disadvantaged communities. I want to encourage all residents in the Western Cape to take advantage of the excellent services that we are providing by registering and receiving your COVID-19 vaccine. Doing so will ensure that we achieve herd immunity and save both lives and livelihoods.”

In addition, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB), a long-standing business in the Western Cape and franchised bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company, has funded the construction of three vaccine stations which have been set up at Community Health Centers at Crossroads in Nyanga, Brown’s Farm in Philippi and at the Mitchells Plain CHC.

“As CCPB, we remain committed to making a difference that matters in our communities and uplifting our country together. Working closely with the Project Last Mile team on behalf of the Coca-Cola Foundation, we are humbled by the opportunity to partner with the Cipla Foundation and contribute towards the vaccine drive in the province. Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, we have made community the heart of everything we do; supporting disaster management teams, medical staff and patients at Covid Field hospitals, distributing PPE to community care workers, assisting NGOs and retailers with delivering food parcels, beverages and bottled water for feeding programmes, that has touched more than 700 000 beneficiaries.   The vaccine units will be a long-lasting legacy in the communities they serve and we are proud to be part of this partnership,” said Priscilla Urquhart, CCPB head of Public Affairs and Communications.

“The United States government, through USAID, is very proud to partner with the Western Cape government and the Cipla Foundation to provide innovative solutions to support the local vaccination program roll-out. Through this work, and our long history of partnership with the Western Cape Province, we are proud to help make sure vaccines reach South Africans and save as many lives as possible,” said Will Stevens, Acting U.S. Consul General in Cape Town.

People who have registered via the National Department of Health’s Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) online portal (https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/) will be eligible to go to these vaccination sites for their shot in accordance with the National Department of Health guidelines.

 

ENDS

 For more information, please contact:

Fidelia van der Linde
Communications Manager
Email: fidelia.vanderlinde@cipla.com
Mobile: +27 82 965 1960
Tel: +27 21 943 4200

Victoria Stoffberg

USAID Senior Development Outreach and Communications Adviser

Email: vstoffberg@usaid.gov   

Mobile: +27 83 448 5257

 Cayla Murray

Spokesperson to the Premier

Email: Cayla.Murray@westerncape.gov.za

Mobile: +27 64 121 7959

 About the Cipla Foundation:

The Cipla Foundation, Cipla SA’ s social enterprise division, is a recognised non-profit organisation and operates as the umbrella for various fundraising projects and initiatives aligned to Cipla’s core ethos, ‘advancing healthcare for all South Africans’. Key projects aligned with the Foundation include: Sha’p Left, a nurse-driven primary healthcare service treating people closer to home, and a chronic medicine pick-up point; Ajuga, fire-resistant crèche structures deployed in communities; and the Cipla Miles for Smiles initiative, which creates awareness for the plight of children born with cleft lips and palates, as well as raises funds to perform corrective surgery on them. Visit https://www.cipla.co.za/cipla-foundation for more information.

About Cipla:

Established in 1935, Cipla is a global pharmaceutical company focused on agile and sustainable growth, complex generics, and deepening portfolio in our home markets of India, South Africa, North America, and key regulated and emerging markets. Our strengths in the respiratory, anti-retroviral, urology, cardiology, anti-infective and CNS segments are well-known.

Our 46 manufacturing sites around the world produce 50+ dosage forms and 1,500+ products using cutting-edge technology platforms to cater to our 80+ markets. Cipla is ranked third largest in pharma in India (IQVIA MAT Feb’20,), third largest in the pharma private market in South Africa (IQVIA MAT Feb’20) and is among the most dispensed generic players in the US.

For over eight decades, making a difference to patients has inspired every aspect of Cipla’s work. Our paradigm-changing offer of a triple anti-retroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS at less than a dollar a day in Africa in 2001 is widely acknowledged as having contributed to bringing inclusiveness, accessibility and affordability to the centre of the HIV movement.

A responsible corporate citizen, Cipla’s humanitarian approach to healthcare in pursuit of its purpose of ‘Caring for Life’ and deep-rooted community links wherever it is present make it a partner of choice to global health bodies, peers and all stakeholders. For more, please visit www.cipla.com, or click on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

About Cipla in South Africa:

Cipla Medpro South Africa (Pty) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cipla Limited, India and third largest pharmaceutical company in the private sector in South Africa. Through Cipla’s purpose of ‘Caring for Life’, Cipla Medpro produces world-class medicines at affordable prices for the public and private sectors, advancing healthcare for all South Africans.  For more information, visit www.cipla.co.za.

About USAID:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy. As part of the U.S. Mission to South Africa, USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people progress beyond assistance. To read previous press releases on U.S. assistance to South Africa, please visit: https://za.usembassy.gov/category/press-releases/. For more on U.S. global response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.state.gov/coronavirus

About Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages

 Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) is the local bottler partner and distributor of The Coca-Cola Company in the Western and Northern Cape. Products and brands include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Stoney, Appletiser, Powerade, Bonaqua, PowerPlay and Monster Energy amongst others.

CCPB has been operational for 80 years, having first opened for business in 1940. Their state-of-the-art bottling facility is based in Parow Industria, with distribution centres in Athlone, Worcester, Paarl and the Northern Cape.

 For more information, visit www.peninsulabeverage.co.za and follow @CocaColaPenBev on Facebook and Instagram.