Unmonitored: No mechanism to track vaccines for immunisation
Health minister trashes provincial claims of 90 per cent coverage.
Federal State Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
The absence of a mechanism to manage vaccines for routine immunisation results in the wastage of 60 per cent of vaccines annually. Many children across the country are deprived of a shield against nine vaccine-preventable diseases due to the negligence of health officials.
At a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health on Friday, the state health minister rubbished statistics in reports submitted by the provinces claiming above 90 per cent coverage of routine immunisation.
This is a major factor behind the outbreak of various diseases like measles in the country that claim hundreds of lives every year, said State Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar.
In most cases, the reports are prepared by the vaccinators themselves who falsify figures to gloss over their performance, she added.
“The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-13 has given a clear picture by exposing the reality behind their tall claims.” It is a fact that during the last government’s tenure, from procurement of vaccines to their administration, the entire process was flawed,” she claimed.
Tarar informed the committee that there was no mechanism to monitor the utilisation of funds given by international and national donors for Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, a committee member blamed the federal government for not storing the vaccines properly which affects their efficacy. “I can only look after things which are under our domain,” Tarar replied.
She told the committee that the federal government had asked for technical support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to conduct a survey to get a clear picture of how many vaccines go to waste in each district and highlight gaps in routine coverage. “The federal government is also integrating the polio programme with routine immunisation.”
EPI National Manager Dr Ejaz Khan informed the committee that the federal government was formulating a comprehensive multi-year programme with the provinces which are working on a financial plan to launch provincial EPI.
“GPRS technology will be soon introduced in the country to keep a track of vaccines from procurement to administrating them to children across the country,” he said.
Committee chairman Khalid Hussain Magsi recommended the Ministry of NHSRC to formulate a mechanism to address these issues.
The committee members also expressed concern over the procurement of vaccines from a local supplier, which deprived the exchequer of billions of rupees. and The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The committee was informed that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) has put a condition on Pakistan to only procure vaccines from UNICEF.
Saira Afzal Tarar informed the committee that the local supplier had filed a case against the Ministry of Health and the court had decided in their favour. “We have filed an intra-court appeal against the decision.”
Dr Pechuho recommended that exemption should be given in PPRA rules for procuring vaccines.
The committee recommended that vaccines should only be procured from UNICEF to save billions of rupees.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2014.
The absence of a mechanism to manage vaccines for routine immunisation results in the wastage of 60 per cent of vaccines annually. Many children across the country are deprived of a shield against nine vaccine-preventable diseases due to the negligence of health officials.
At a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health on Friday, the state health minister rubbished statistics in reports submitted by the provinces claiming above 90 per cent coverage of routine immunisation.
This is a major factor behind the outbreak of various diseases like measles in the country that claim hundreds of lives every year, said State Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar.
In most cases, the reports are prepared by the vaccinators themselves who falsify figures to gloss over their performance, she added.
“The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-13 has given a clear picture by exposing the reality behind their tall claims.” It is a fact that during the last government’s tenure, from procurement of vaccines to their administration, the entire process was flawed,” she claimed.
Tarar informed the committee that there was no mechanism to monitor the utilisation of funds given by international and national donors for Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, a committee member blamed the federal government for not storing the vaccines properly which affects their efficacy. “I can only look after things which are under our domain,” Tarar replied.
She told the committee that the federal government had asked for technical support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to conduct a survey to get a clear picture of how many vaccines go to waste in each district and highlight gaps in routine coverage. “The federal government is also integrating the polio programme with routine immunisation.”
EPI National Manager Dr Ejaz Khan informed the committee that the federal government was formulating a comprehensive multi-year programme with the provinces which are working on a financial plan to launch provincial EPI.
“GPRS technology will be soon introduced in the country to keep a track of vaccines from procurement to administrating them to children across the country,” he said.
Committee chairman Khalid Hussain Magsi recommended the Ministry of NHSRC to formulate a mechanism to address these issues.
The committee members also expressed concern over the procurement of vaccines from a local supplier, which deprived the exchequer of billions of rupees. and The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The committee was informed that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) has put a condition on Pakistan to only procure vaccines from UNICEF.
Saira Afzal Tarar informed the committee that the local supplier had filed a case against the Ministry of Health and the court had decided in their favour. “We have filed an intra-court appeal against the decision.”
Dr Pechuho recommended that exemption should be given in PPRA rules for procuring vaccines.
The committee recommended that vaccines should only be procured from UNICEF to save billions of rupees.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2014.