Miss Evelyn Bema Darkwa, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Vice Chairperson of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, who made this known, said the Municipality was rated the 22nd lowest in immunization coverage in the country in a 2015 report.

She was speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of Asikasu in the Dormaa Municipality to mark the Regional celebration of the World Immunization Week.

Ms Darkwa, who is the Executive Director of the Human Care Maintenance Foundation (HUCAM), a non-governmental organisation, noted that immunization coverage was low in the municipality because of lack of knowledge, lack of education, and transportation problems.

She said it was very urgent for the government to establish the national immunization fund, as Gavi , the Vaccine Alliance, a public–private global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunisation in poor countries pulls off its annual funding on immunization by 2022.

Ms Darkwa explained that improving immunization coverage was vital to promoting child health and reducing childhood diseases and deaths.

She observed that although, childhood immunization had been a major national development goal since 1970s, the country had 40 districts with very low coverage and low performing.

Mrs Darkwa emphasised that the country required strong political leadership and will for sustainable and improved programming on immunization.

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Source: GNA

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In year 2014, it achieved 26 percent coverage, rising to 64.3 percent the following year, and hit 76.7 percent in 2016.

Mr. Christopher Dapaah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, said a combination of factors – ignorance, misconception, socio-cultural beliefs and practices were to blame.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QkTEnsFhvmzvhirFi9HFLuVXp9hReFjm”]Added to these, he noted, was the inadequate health facilities and personnel in the area.

He said he was, however, encouraged by the last year’s immunization figures, and expressed optimism that with vigorous education campaign by the Coalition, the assembly and the Ghana Heath Service, the 95 percent target set for the year could be within reach.

Mr. Dapaah was addressing a health forum on immunization held at the Aboabo Post Office on Wednesday when he made the remark.

He touched on a number of interventions put in place by the Coalition with support from the Muslim Family Counselling services and Resource Link Foundation to help everybody to appreciate the need to vaccinate children against the killer diseases.

He said satellite immunization centres had been set up and the municipal health directorate supported with logistics to reach out to every child.

The forum was organized by the Coalition together with the assembly and GHS, as part of activities to mark this year’s Immunization Week.

“Vaccines work”, is the theme chosen for the event organized annually to highlight the importance of immunization.

The goal is to significantly reduce vaccine-preventable diseases by year 2020 in line with the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), a programme, which has been endorsed by 194 member states of the World Health Assembly.

Mr. Dapaah pointed out that cases of tuberculosis, hepatitis ‘B’, measles, maternal and neonatal tetanus alongside poliomyelitis and diphtheria could be minimized through immunization.

Mr. Justice Ofori Amoah, the Municipal Health Director, pledged to continue to work hard to increase the immunization coverage.

Ustaz Ahmed Seidu, Executive-Secretary of the Council of Ulama and Imams, said vaccination was critical to the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

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Source: GNA

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