Year 2014-18: Strategic plan to prevent child deaths launched
New immunisation scheme aims to save lives of 600 children who die every day.
New immunisation scheme aims to save lives of 600 children who die every day. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government launched on Wednesday the comprehensive Multi-Year Strategic Plan (cMYP) for Immunisation 2014-18 to save the lives of over 600 children who die every day in the country from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The launching ceremony was held at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) during a meeting with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwan.
“This plan has set the direction of immunisation in Pakistan for the next five years,” said Dr. Ala Alwan. By setting direction and agreeing with provinces on priorities, actions and probable financing required for immunisation, the Pakistani government has reinforced its commitment to strengthening routine immunisation in the country, he added.
Considering the country’s failure in improving the coverage of routine immunisation in previous years, Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarar claimed that this new cMYP for immunisation has been formulated with much care while taking all bad experiences and shortcomings into account.
According to Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-2013, only 54% of children in Pakistan aged between 12 and 23 months are vaccinated against the nine vaccine-preventable diseases as opposed to the 80% immunisation coverage recommended by the WHO.
Meanwhile, according to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), this poor coverage of routine immunisation claims around 485,000 lives of children under the age of five in Pakistan annually.
Of these, 18 per cent of deaths are from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The cMYP 2014-18 contains nine separate comprehensive multi-year plan documents, developed with the mutual consultation of federal and provincial governments along with development partners, for all the EPI entities in the capital, the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Challenges and constraints
Talking to The Express Tribune, an official at the Ministry of NHSRC, on the condition of anonymity, said there are several risks and challenges the country is facing while fighting the nine preventable diseases. The challenges include security and poor law and order, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), FATA and Balochistan, natural disasters, political interference in hiring staff, social and cultural barriers, illiteracy and poverty.
Sharing the immunisation situation-analysis summary of 2010-2013, the official said there was a huge shortage of skilled immunisation staff for routine immunisation and non-polio supplementary immunisation activities.
Moreover, routine immunisation via outreach service delivery suffered from inadequate transport infrastructure and overburdened immunisation staff, outdated cold chain capacity, poor maintenance, followed by weak vaccine-management practices.
Key objectives, set targets
• Increase immunisation coverage and reducing vaccine preventable-diseases
• Stop wild poliovirus transmission throughout the country and eradicating the disease
• Improve quality, efficiency and sustainability of immunisation
• Change political attitudes towards importance of immunisation
• Introduce inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), rotavirus vaccine
• Improve surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases and ensure effective vaccine management, monitoring, reporting of immunisation services
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2014.
The federal government launched on Wednesday the comprehensive Multi-Year Strategic Plan (cMYP) for Immunisation 2014-18 to save the lives of over 600 children who die every day in the country from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The launching ceremony was held at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) during a meeting with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwan.
“This plan has set the direction of immunisation in Pakistan for the next five years,” said Dr. Ala Alwan. By setting direction and agreeing with provinces on priorities, actions and probable financing required for immunisation, the Pakistani government has reinforced its commitment to strengthening routine immunisation in the country, he added.
Considering the country’s failure in improving the coverage of routine immunisation in previous years, Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarar claimed that this new cMYP for immunisation has been formulated with much care while taking all bad experiences and shortcomings into account.
According to Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-2013, only 54% of children in Pakistan aged between 12 and 23 months are vaccinated against the nine vaccine-preventable diseases as opposed to the 80% immunisation coverage recommended by the WHO.
Meanwhile, according to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), this poor coverage of routine immunisation claims around 485,000 lives of children under the age of five in Pakistan annually.
Of these, 18 per cent of deaths are from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The cMYP 2014-18 contains nine separate comprehensive multi-year plan documents, developed with the mutual consultation of federal and provincial governments along with development partners, for all the EPI entities in the capital, the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Challenges and constraints
Talking to The Express Tribune, an official at the Ministry of NHSRC, on the condition of anonymity, said there are several risks and challenges the country is facing while fighting the nine preventable diseases. The challenges include security and poor law and order, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), FATA and Balochistan, natural disasters, political interference in hiring staff, social and cultural barriers, illiteracy and poverty.
Sharing the immunisation situation-analysis summary of 2010-2013, the official said there was a huge shortage of skilled immunisation staff for routine immunisation and non-polio supplementary immunisation activities.
Moreover, routine immunisation via outreach service delivery suffered from inadequate transport infrastructure and overburdened immunisation staff, outdated cold chain capacity, poor maintenance, followed by weak vaccine-management practices.
Key objectives, set targets
• Increase immunisation coverage and reducing vaccine preventable-diseases
• Stop wild poliovirus transmission throughout the country and eradicating the disease
• Improve quality, efficiency and sustainability of immunisation
• Change political attitudes towards importance of immunisation
• Introduce inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), rotavirus vaccine
• Improve surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases and ensure effective vaccine management, monitoring, reporting of immunisation services
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2014.