The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has revealed that a total of 189,310 children in the South West lacked access to routine immunisation between January and June 2023.
Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, disclosed this at the Quarterly Review meeting of the South West Traditional Leaders’ Committee (SWTLC), on Tuesday, in Akure, Ondo capital.
Shuaib, who described the children as having “zero dose”, explained that in South West axis, Lagos and Oyo topped the list where kids did not receive any effort on vaccination.
“These children are referred to as zero-dose children. Notably, Lagos has the highest count, with 79,279 zero-dose children, followed by Oyo state with 53,812 children, Ondo with 30,280 children, Osun with 19,737 children, Ogun with 3,204 children, and finally Ekiti with 2,998 children who have never received any form of vaccination effort,” he said.
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According to him, the immunization of children, particularly the eradication of all forms of vaccine-preventable diseases such as Poliovirus, remained the top priority of the agency.
The NPHCDA Executive director noted that the federal government, in collaboration with development partners, has concluded plans to introduce the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the national immunization schedule starting from September 2023.
“The HPV vaccine is highly effective in preventing the most common types of Human Papilloma Virus that cause cervical and other types of cancers. We would be reaching out to you to help communicate to your communities the importance of these vaccines,” he said.
While noting that the meeting was aimed at promoting an effective primary health care delivery to the people of the South West, Dr Shuaib advised the traditional rulers to always emphasise the significance of regular immunisation exercise to their subjects.
Earlier, the Acting Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa said the government would continually embrace partnerships with NPHCDA for the benefit of the people most especially in promoting and protecting the health of all residents.
Aiyedatiwa noted that the present administration, for instance in Ondo, has been prioritising healthcare service delivery as part of its REDEEMED Policy Thrust.
He posited that the personal involvement and endorsement of primary health care services by traditional rulers in the region would enhance trust and confidence among the citizens.
“All levels of our health system have continued to receive the necessary support to ensure that our people receive the kind of healthcare they desire without being subjected to unbearable expenditures.”
In his words, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said all traditional rulers in the South West region have a pivotal role to play in ensuring that their communities are healthy, stressing that the event would afford them to deliberate on advancing good health among their subjects.
