Immunisation: Measles campaign not getting due funds

Delays may put health of over 200,000 children in ICT at risk.

ISLAMABAD:

The government’s attention to the donor-focused polio campaign has relegated other diseases to the background. Measles is one of them. 

“The issue is that the government is more focused on donor-driven polio campaigns, due to which, other diseases remain ignored,” Capital Development Authority (CDA) Directorate of Health Services (DHS) Director Dr Hasan Orooj said.

According to Orooj, the directorate has been waiting for funds to launch an anti-measles campaign for almost a year.

The delay in launching the 15-day anti-measles immunization drive in the capital has put the health of some 221,000 children aged between nine-months and ten years at risk.



So far this year, eight positive cases of measles have been reported in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Officials at the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said there is a possibility of a measles outbreak in the capital if children are not immunised against the disease.

Sharing details, an official requesting anonymity said that last year in March, the DHS submitted a Rs55.1 million plan of action to the federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).



“It is been a year now and not even a single penny has been released for the drive. It should have been launched last May,” said the sources.

The official said that there are already outbreaks of measles in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

“Mass movement of infected children from K-P and AJK to Islamabad could be a threat for children here. Therefore there is a need to immunise every single child in this area.”

He also expressed concern over the CDA and ICT’s failure to share measles case data for the last three months with the federal EPI.

EPI National Manager Dr Ejaz Khan also confirmed that the federal EPI is facing an acute shortage of funds to even procure vaccines.

“We need money. For nine months the Ministry of Finance and Planning Commission of Pakistan have not been releasing the grant,” he said.

He said any further delay in the release of funds could result in a shortage of vaccines in the country.

“We currently only have tetanus vaccines in stock. Those will last till May,” he warned.

Meeting held to strengthen EPI

Meanwhile, the government in a meeting held on Tuesday at the NHS Ministry decided to use polio infrastructure to strengthen EPI, said a press release.

The meeting was chaired by the NHS Minister for State Saira Afzal Tarar and was attended by the top public health specialists from government and partner agencies.

The meeting also recommended establishing a strong monitoring mechanism to oversee utilisation of EPI vaccines.

The minister said that free vaccination was being provided by the government for every child in the country.

“Unfortunately, we have failed to reach every child infected with the disease. Dysfunctional immunisation centres are hampering efforts to reach each one,” she said.

“Immunisation coverage across the country remains sub-optimal. There is a need to ensure that these services reach every child in need,” she urged.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2014.