Nigeria: Health Stakeholders Seek Urgent Steps To Prioritize Immunization

As part of efforts to close the financing gap for immunization and Primary Health Care stakeholders in the health sector have called for urgent steps to provoke legislative efforts that will designate immunization as a first-line charge under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Speaking in Abuja at a multi-stakeholders’ technical workshop on optimization of sustainable immunization financing model in Nigeria, the Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services, Amos Magaji said such effort would ensure that funding for vaccines is protected and prioritized.

Immunization and primary health care (PHC) are globally recognized as the bedrock of any resilient health system.

According to the World Health Organization, vaccines prevent an estimated 3.5 to 5 million deaths annually.

However in Nigeria, available report shows that only 57% of children aged 12–23 months received all basic vaccinations which is far below the global target of 90%.

Addressing the workshop, the Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services, Amos Magaji noted that Nigeria’s reliance on external donors over the years was one of the challenges, that had created a culture of neglect for immunization.

On her part, Chair, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, said plans have been put in place to ensure immunization is on first line charge in National Health Acts 2024.

“A lot of donors are pulling out and funding is reducing tremendously and the story we get vaccine stockouts, it is unacceptable.

“That is why National Assembly is stepping in, so we said why don’t we have a first line charge for immunization.

”If that alone will ensure the vaccine is always available, and also ensure the vaccines are not wasted, and always available to the children and pregnant women,” she added.

The Executive Secretary National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr. Muyi Aina said Nigeria had reached about 3 million children who had not been vaccinated before.

“We were able to reach 9.9 million Nigeria with measles 2024. For the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine 14 million girls are now protected, life protection. 91 million polio doses have been given to under 5 children .

According to him, ”Eighty-five million people have been vaccinated against yellow fever while over 4 million received meningitis, in over two years. 2.5 million got cholera vaccines and 4,300 health workers got monkey-pox.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Vaccine Network for Disease Control, Mrs Chika Offor who said it was time for Nigeria to start funding immunization programme called for local production of vaccine in the country.

“What it translates immediately is that we are now going to have fundings.“As I am talking to you now, there is Diphtheria outbreak, and it will continue that way because the vaccines are not available.”

In a message, the Coordinating Minister of Health and social welfare, Professor Ali Pate, expressed worry that Nigeria has one of highest burden of unvaccinated children in the world.

Also the Senior Special Assistant to President on Health, Dr Salma Anas Kolo stressed the need for concrete action, multi-sectoral approach, transparency and accountability to address immunization gap in the country.

”We need to do things differently, Nigeria has done it before successfully in the 90s, led by Professor Olukoye Ransom Kuti, which was a perfect response and the immunization coverage was up to 90%.”

”So from then we continue to derail, What has gone wrong? what are we talking about,?we must work with the communities to meet their needs in immunization.

According to her, ”The legislators have a big responsibility, In addition to resource mobilization, oversight function is very critical.”

” They have to follow with all sense of responsibility, step by step, up to the point of delivering, a vaccine to the babies, to the children under five years.”