As a background, some vaccines need to be stored between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (especially in the case of mandatory infant vaccines). Because of this, approximately 20 percent of vaccines donated to developing countries end up being unusable. The biggest reason is down to distribution, particularly when some hospitals and clinics are located in remote places with inadequate infrastructure.

According to UNICEF, each year, the lives of 1.5 million children are lost to vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) with insufficient effective utilization of vaccines being one of the reasons.

Realizing this, the World Health Organization or WHO has come up with PQS—Performance, Quality, and Safety qualifications to ensure that any medical device or equipment can be used safely and efficiently per United Nations standards.

This Toyota Land Cruiser 78, co-developed with B Medical Systems S.à r.l. and Toyota Tsusho Corporation is the first refrigerated vaccine transport to be prequalified with a PQS certification. This means it can transport vaccines in the proper temperatures and conditions, including COVID-19 vaccines. It can carry around 400 vaccine packages (396 liters). The refrigerator can be charged by the vehicle while driving or from an external power source when parked. And even when everything else fails, an independent battery can power it for 16 hours—enough for a trip to Manila to Bicol with time to spare.