National Immunization: FCTA Partners Gavi Alliance

By: Badaru Yakasai & Jonah Doris

To ensure an improved National Immunization exercise in the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has concluded arrangements to parter with the GAVI Alliance, producers of vaccines.

Accordingly, a High Level Mission visited the Primary Health Care Aleyita, a suburb of Abuja to review National Strategy For Immunization Programme Service System (NSIPSS).

The Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, who disclosed this, said that GAVI Vaccine Alliance has been development partners of the FCTA and has equally been supporting FCT Immunization Programme.

The Secretary was represented by the Acting Executive Secretary FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Yakubu Mohammmed at the occasion.

Fasawe noted that the support from GAVI Vaccine Alliance has tremendously been helping the routine vaccination across the Territory.

She said that this will be sustained in the FCT Primary Health Care facilities because sustainable vaccination translates to taking preventive measures against diseases.

The Secretary said that with the recent launch of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine in Nigeria, GAVI Vaccine Alliance is hereby urged to increase their support to enable the FCTA sustain the fight against Cervical Cancer.

Fasawe similarly called for more partnerships in the area of optimizing care for mothers and children in preventing disease outbreaks as well as halting maternal and infant mortality in the nation’s Capital.

Also speaking at the occasion, Dr. Folake Olayinka, Global Health Immunization Team Lead, who led the GAVI Alliance High Mission delegation, said the organization is a Public- Private Health partnership that seeks to increase access to immunization in developing countries.

“The purpose of the visit was to review the National Strategy for Immunization Programme in order to improve on it and promote good health amongst women and children,” Olayinka noted.

Also speaking at the occasion, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said that every aspect of Primary Health Care will be looked into to see how the organization will further support the existing system in order to make it better.

Dr. Ruqayya Wamakko, the Director Primary Health Care/ Community Services FCT-PHCB appreciated the degelation’s visit while taking time to explain that the system works in a chain to identify the health needs of the people through Community managerial structure for improved Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent, Elderly Health Plus Nutrition and Gender (RMNCAEH+N/G) and routine immunization intensification to sustain POLIO certification in Nigeria and the FCT.

The GAVI High Level Mission is an annual collaborative initiative organized between the government of Nigeria and GAVI to assess the Country’s immunization investment in accordance with the strategic framework developed to guide Nigeria’s transition from GAVI’s support.