From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in partnership with Gavi, the vaccine alliance, has launched the Health System Strengthening Phase 3 (HSS-3).
The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, explained that the HSS-3, which was launched on Friday in Abuja, would help to consolidate the achievements of the previous HSS, 1 and 2. He stated that the HSS-3 is a critical tool to achieve the pillar 3 priority of the Ministry of Health that focuses on effective frontline health security through the PHC system, with a vision of not leaving any child unimmunised.
He highlighted several achievements of the previous HSS1 and 2, particularly on the expanded access to life-saving vaccines, and stated that NPHCDA and other stakeholders are undertaking a number of reforms, including the Identify, Enumerate and Vaccinate (IEV) strategy to drastically reduce the number of zero-dose children, and improve the quality of health campaigns to address the incidences of outbreaks due to gaps in routine immunisation and campaigns.
Dr. Aina assured that with the implementation of the HSS-3, Nigerians would begin to see more positive and citizen-focused improvements in immunisation and other PHC services across the country, thus urging all stakeholders to join the implementation of the Gavi HSS-3 for the benefit of the country and humanity in general.
Alex de Jonquieres, Gavi Director of Health Systems and Immunisation Strengthening, in his remarks, noted that Nigeria is home to the largest number of children, who have not received a single dose of routine vaccines in the world, and this often results in repeated outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and deaths.