The Kwara State Government and the Non-Governmental Organization Vaccine Network for Disease Control have agreed to collaborate on disease control and eradication throughout the state’s 16 Local Government Areas.
Chika Offor, the Chief Executive Officer of the NGO made this known on Friday in Ilorin during an on-boarding meeting.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was with the Kwara Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina El-Imam.
Offor explained that the initiative known as Partnership To Reach Zero-Dose Children affords them strategies to eradicate childhood-killer diseases.
“The meeting is one of the planned advocacy activities of Vaccine Network in line with our objectives on the PREACH project,” she said.
Offor explained that the project was a Global Alliance for Vaccines Initiative-funded project through the Global Health Advocacy Initiative.
She stated that the goal was to redeem, expand and sustain multi-stakeholder commitment to investment in immunisation and primary healthcare.
The aim, Offor said, is to reach zero-dose children level and increase immunisation coverage in Nigeria.
“The specific objectives include increased domestic resource mobilisation for immunisation, efficient allocation use, accountability of domestic resources and timely release of vaccine financing, including GAVI co-financing obligations,” she said.
The NGO CEO stated that this project was geared towards supporting the government to sustain and upscale the immunisation financing responsibility.
“It will also ensure that the state of primary healthcare is strengthened,” she said.
Offor restated the resolve of working with the Kwara State Government and relevant agencies to develop effective strategies to mitigate funding gaps, strengthen the PHC system, and address other critical issues.
In her response, El-Imam commended the Network team and assured them of her support.
She explained that with this partnership, she would love to see “impactful progress and statistically significant improvements in the health of citizens of Kwara”.
