KARACHI: A United Arab Emirates-based supply chain vaccine provider said on Tuesday it was discussing the possibility of offering different types of COVID-19 jabs along with storage and logistical facilities with the Pakistani government to help the South Asian nation with its immunization campaign.

Spearheaded by Abu Dhabi’s health department, the Hope Consortium has been formed by some of the world’s top supply chain solution providers.

“We are working with the Pakistani authorities responsible for the vaccination program in order to ensure that these vaccines arrive in the centers and also to support teams on ground,” Dr. Omar Najim, the executive director at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, said at a virtually held news conference.

“We want to ensure that vaccines are provided to the right place, at the right time and under the right condition,” he added.

The consortium has appointed global transport companies after evaluating their ability to safely deliver vaccine doses under cold and ultra-cold conditions (-20°C and -80°C) among various transportation hubs, warehouses, medical facilities and other destinations.

The management of the consortium said it was also willing to set up storage facilities in Pakistan.

“We would be open to working with Pakistani authorities to set up storage facilities and extend digital solutions,” Robert Sutton, who leads the Logistics Cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports, said.

“We have distributed these vaccines globally and Pakistan is included. We are ready and have partners, associates and solutions in place to support Pakistan with the distribution of vaccines in the market,” he added.

Pakistan has been exploring various options to procure vaccines from different countries.

A speedy vaccination process can help the country resume business activities that can lead to its economic recovery.

The representatives of the consortium said they had developed one of the most extensive and integrated, end-to-end supply chain system for the world, saving countries and communities the challenge of building their own distribution networks.

The Hope Consortium has handled over 27 million vaccines across 31 countries so far.

Pakistan has administered 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines until now and plans to inoculate 100 million people by July 2022.