Routine immunization: Nigeria may experience vaccine stock-out in 2017, NIFT warns.

During a two-day retreat organized for NIFT advocacy committee members by Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) in collaboration with Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH),

the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), stakeholders saidWithout adequate funding for vaccines, the Routine Immunization (RI) system will experience stock-out, which will subsequently lead to more deaths from vaccine preventable diseases.

 Department, National Primary Health Care Development Agency NPHCDA, Mr Eugene Ivase, said Nigeria faces an enormous funding gap for the immunization programme due to the cost of additional vaccines, increasing new births, loss of donor funding following GAVI graduation and insufficient budgetary allocation to vaccines.

“To fill the gap, Nigeria needs to secure progressively more money for its vaccine program starting from 29 Billion Naira in 2016 and rising to an estimated 63 Billion Naira by 2020.

The government of Nigeria (GoN) through the NPHCDA has made significant progress in Routine Immunization (RI). However, this gains will be reversed without adequate funding for vaccines. The current resurgence of polio virus in the crisis locations of the North East zone of the country is going to add pressure to lean financial challenge we have to contend with”,   Adding that, The CHR/PACFaH Project Director Dr. Aminu Magashi, called on the Federal Government to meet its $181million immunization fund requirement for 2017 and 2018.

He urged the federal government to scale-up plan towards fund mobilization for immunization, as well timely and transparent release of the 2016 budget.

“As the country begins its transition process from GAVI, its funding requirement has increased. Nigeria is expected to commit $181 million out of the $264 million to fund immunization program for 2017 and 2018.  Nigerian government needs to meet this demand”

He said the funds should be factored into the 2017 budget to create sufficient time to order for vaccines needed to save the lives of nearly 7 million children born yearly who will need vaccination.

“The NIFT advocacy committee members are committed towards ensuring that funds are made available to cater for the vaccine needs of over 7 million Nigerian children born every year, this retreat will guide the committee on its advocacy strategy to the government” said Aminu Magashi.

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