National Assembly Calls For Urgent Release Of ₦87 billion Delayed Immunization Funds

The Chairman House Committee on Healthcare Services, Dr Amos Magaji has called for the urgent release of over ₦87 billion in delayed immunization funds, describing the delay as a disaster waiting to happen.

The chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

Dr Magaji pointed out that immunization funding must be treated as a first-line charge in the national budget to ensure timely disbursement.

“Children won’t wait to grow, a child who missed vaccination milestones due to funding delays may already be exposed; this is not just an administrative issue, it’s a matter of life and death,” he lamented.

He proposed a nationwide reorientation campaign and the use of mobile technology to track pregnant women and ensure timely healthcare interventions.

”And that’s why we have taken it upon ourselves to go to almost every state of the nation and then, of course, to engage the chief executives, the commissioner of health, and then those that have the mandate, like primary health management board of each state, to see what they are doing, to hear from them, and then, of course, to give our own input. ”

Dr Magaji expressed worry over cultural and religious barriers to maternal and child health, such as resistance to antenatal care and hospital deliveries. READ ALSO: Vaccine Advocates Seek Full Release Of ₦231.7 billion Allocated For Immunization

While linking recent cholera and diphtheria outbreaks to vaccine-preventable diseases, he noted that the National Assembly was actively tracking these funds, requesting documentation to expedite their release.

He said that the National Assembly’s was commitment to oversight, collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and long-term solutions like local vaccine production,

“We must prioritize health the same way we do security; bad roads can wait, health cannot.”