Vaccines: GAVI deputy chief for improved cold chain

Says organisation likely to enhance backup support for immunisation .

ISLAMABAD: Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Anuradha Gupta has called for enhanced cold chain for vaccines for improving vaccination coverage in Pakistan.

Gupta along with a delegation held a meeting with Minister for National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) Saira Afzal Tarar here on Friday and discussed collaboration in strengthening Pakistan’s child immunisation programme, said a press release issued by the health ministry.

Gupta said that the GAVI was paying special attention to support Pakistan’s immunisation programme. She said the organisation was currently providing support of $835 million dollars to Pakistan for strengthening routine immunisation for children and mothers and the help was likely to be enhanced to $1 billion dollars by the end of 2020.

Gupta congratulated the minister on developing a plan of action for improving mother and child health and strengthening immunisation services.

“Immunisation is critical for achieving sustainable development goals and immunisation is the most cost-effective intervention which does not require brick and mortar,” she said.

Tarar said that the government was according top priority to the health sector. She said that government’s programmes and initiatives aimed to protect and safeguard the health and well being of women and children. “We recognise that investment in health of women and children is an investment for the future of our country,” Tarar said and added that the ministry has developed a 10-point mother and newborn child health plan of action in collaboration with federating units to improve health services and their uptake by communities. “The 10-point vision aims to address all issues related to maternal, newborn, and child health programmes, especially stillbirths, breastfeeding, immunisation and nutrition services,” the minister told the delegation. She said that the National Immunisation Support Programme (NISP) has been developed in partnership with all stakeholders to sustain vaccination services in the country.

Health Secretary Muhammad Ayub Sheikh said that country manages vaccines according to international standards.

The secretary said the ministry was looking forward to the successful implementation of the NISP and the government was also fully committed to ensuring accountability and transparency in the financing mechanism.

“Vaccine security and delivery up to the end user is the responsibility of the government that has the crucial role of achieving all the set indicators for routine immunisation,” he added.

The visiting delegation includes top functionaries from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO, UNICEF, USAID besides Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2016.