SEND Ghana, a non-governmental organization, has expressed deep concern over the shortages of childhood vaccines in the country.
According to Send Ghana, government has not been committed to resolving the vaccine shortage which is necessary to safeguarding the lives of children.
In a statement, they worried that “for about a month now, health authorities have been paying lip service to resolving the shortage. It is reported that 10 out of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana are currently battling shortages of vaccines and are now turning nursing mothers away.”
While noting that this action will hinder the country’s goal of attaining Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals more broadly, Send Ghana petitioned “the government to take immediately steps to purchase these vaccines and make them available to avert an outbreak of childhood diseases.”
The statement added that due to government’s failure to fulfill its co-financing obligation with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Ghana is now considered a “stubborn child” among global immunization bodies.
“While we recognize the current economic crisis in the country, important needs such as vaccination for children must not be compromised. Already, 120 children have reportedly been infected with measles in Northern Ghana, and many more across the country could suffer a similar fate,” Send Ghana emphasised.
They further commend the Health Committee of Parliament for inviting the Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu to respond to the vaccine shortage, and also appealed that parliament uses its powers to continue to sustain the pressure on the government until the vaccines are made available to all.
