Healthcare Professionals Ask For Adequate Immunisation Funding
The National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria (NACHPN), has asked for an improved funding for Immunisation in order to reverse the country’s current under-five mortality rate.
Comrade Kabir Yahaya Ahmed, the national president of NACHPN, made this call during a press briefing to commemorate the African Vaccination Week which was themed; “Long life for all” in Abuja. He lamented about the high rate of infant and child mortality in the country and stated that despite the global decline, the under five mortality rate remained high in Nigeria.
While being represented by Sarki Zakaria, the assistant general secretary of NACHPN, the president made notice that one quarter of these deaths are preventable by vaccinations.
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“Nigeria pledged ownership of the immunization programme with outlined programmatic strategies, innovations and sustainable financing solutions, to address inequalities in access to vaccines to ensure every eligible child in Nigeria is reached with vaccination. But still, as of today, under-five mortality remains high in Nigeria despite global decline. One quarter of these deaths are preventable by vaccinations.”
He, henceforth, urged that the government support vaccinations in the country by adequately funding immunisations as well as the immediate inclusion of Community Health Practitioners in the midwives service scheme (MSS) by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). This, according to Ahmed, will boost the human resources for health to ensure everyone in the hard-to-reach communities are vaccinated.
“As we commemorate the African Vaccination Week in Nigeria, we call on the Government of Nigeria to consider the resulting health advances from her investment in health such as the milestones achieved during the COVID-19 pandemic and polio eradication to see the possibilities of what the we can accomplish if Nigeria adequately finances and works together to build a health and surveillance systems that is inclusive for Nigerians.”
