The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has called on the government to ensure adequate funding for malaria vaccination programmes in the wake of global donor support cuts.
Speaking to JoyNews’ James Advezi on March 9, Mrs Okunor emphasised the importance of maintaining vaccination coverage, noting that “86% of children had come out of the malaria pandemic because of the vaccinations that were available, and the government doesn’t intend to let these rates come down.”
She explained that international support for vaccination programmes, including contributions to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has been scaled back, potentially threatening vaccine supply.
“There’s been a cut in donor support. Major donors have scaled back, and contributions to Gavi could result in scarce vaccination supplies,” she said.
Despite this, Mrs Okunor expressed confidence in government assurances, adding that funding for malaria vaccines will continue.
“I raised the matter to draw the government’s attention and call on the Ministry of Finance to ensure the Ministry of Health receives adequate funding so that the vaccines expected in the country are not reduced. If we were initially receiving 200 boxes of vaccines, the supply should not drop to 100 or 50 due to donor reductions,” she said.
She also noted that Ghana is not alone in facing the challenge, explaining that the reduction in donor support affects several countries.
“It is not just Ghana that has been cut off from donor support systems; it’s many countries. The USAID system and other contributions have been affected,” she added.
Mrs Okunor highlighted the human impact of malaria vaccination, particularly for children under five and pregnant women.
“The Ministry of Health must be better financed so that our children, and especially those under five, and our pregnant women can continue to benefit. Mothers in rural areas no longer fear for their children’s lives. Because of the vaccines, children are healthy, attend school, and play without suffering from malaria,” she said.
She urged the government to act promptly.
“This is a call to action so that the cut in donor support does not affect this very important malaria vaccination exercise,” she concluded.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
