CSOs, GHS commended for boosting immunisation coverage
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have been commended for the critical role they continue to play in improving immunisation coverage across the country.
The commendation was made by the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Ali Adolf John Mburudiba, in a speech read on his behalf at the annual conference of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), held in Tamale on Tuesday.
The conference was held under the theme: ‘Domestic Immunisation Financing and the Role of Communities in Safeguarding Our Hard-Won Immunisation Gains.’
The conference brought together civil society organisations (CSOs) and key health stakeholders to advocate measures to sustain gains made in Ghana’s immunisation services.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Ali Adolf John Mburudiba, stated that in a speech read on his behalf that the conference theme was timely and critical to the future of public health in the Northern Region and the country at large.
He said the Northern Region had recorded significant reductions in vaccine-preventable diseases due to the combined efforts of the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, development partners and CSOs, particularly the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health.
Mr Mburudiba further noted that gains could not be taken for granted amid global economic pressures and declining external funding, stressing the need to strengthen domestic immunisation financing to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines.
He added that vaccines remained one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the health sector through improved domestic financing and efficient resource management.
The National Chairman of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, Mr Bright Amissah-Nyarko, underlined that domestic immunisation financing required increased government and local funding, stronger health financing mechanisms and stakeholder engagement.
He said immunisation since 1978 had saved millions of lives and generated economic benefits exceeding US$45 billion over the past four decades.
Mr Amissah-Nyarko noted that about 1.2 to 1.6 million children were vaccinated annually and called on government to prioritise immunisation funding in order to prevent deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE
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