FG Partners Gavi Alliance to Produce Disease Preventable Vaccines

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

The federal government has announced it partnership with Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiatives (Gavi) to produce disease preventable vaccines in Nigeria.

The Minister of Health and the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, Prof Mohammed Ali Pate, stated this when he led a high-power delegation from the ministry, Gavi Alliance, World Health Organisation, UNICEF on courtesy call on the governor of Sokoto State.

Pate said Nigeria would be addressing rising medicine costs by tapping into global vaccine production supported by the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiatives (GAVI) to intensify local production.

The minister explained that some diseases are preventable when children are vaccinated against them.

He said: “You know diseases like measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tuberculosis, tetanus and others are preventable, and prevention is better than cure hence the need to vaccinate children against them.”

Pate explained that international agencies have been supporting the state through federal government on immunisation.

He said they were in Sokoto to engage the state government on improve vaccination of children in the state.

On her part, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Global Alliance For Vaccine Initiatives (GAVI), Dr. Sania Nishtar, urged the Sokoto State Government to intensify advocacy for children immunisation against preventable diseases.

She explained that GAVI has spent $2million in Nigeria on vaccine production, noting that Nigeria has special status with Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiatives.

Also speaking, the Director-General of National Primary Healthcare Agency, Dr. Muyi Aina, lauded Sokoto State Government on infrastructural development at the primary health care.

He urged the government to sustain the tempo and improve on existing facilities at the primary health care centres.

While responding, the state Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, thanked the delegation for the visit.

Represented by his Deputy, Muhammad Idris Gobir, Aliyu said his administration is poised to providing quality health care service delivery to the people of the state.

He explained that the state has intensified it commitment on sensitisation of parents to immunise their wards against killer diseases

The governor intimated the minister on the outbreak of Ascites in Isa Local Government Area of the state, stressing that the state government through the Ninistry of Health has already written memo to federal ministry of health on that.

The delegation also visited Sultanate Council where they commended Sultan for his advocacy on immunisation.

In his remark, the Sultan said the council would continue to intensify it advocacy till all children in the state have access to the vaccine against killer diseases.