Routine immunization coverage now at 58 percent – NPHCDA boss

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has said the National Routine Immunization coverage has risen up to 58 percent.

Shuaib disclosed this at the NPHCDA National Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centres (NERICC) engagement workshop with low Performing LGAs in Kaduna on Tuesday.

He added that available immunization coverage data shows that, the coverage rose from the initial 30 percent to 58 percent at the end of third quarter this year.

While noting that the agency recorded 8 percent average annual increase in routine immunization coverage across the country between 2016 to date, he said the engagement between low performing LGAs and high performing ones is part of the sustained effort to completely eradicate polio in the country within the targeted period.

According to him, “Recent studies conducted indicate that between 2016 and the present time, we have seen an average eight percent increase in routine immunization coverage across the country.

“Eight percent is 2 percent above the 6 percent target, though it might appear as if it is just marginal, but in the routine immunization space, but it is unprecedented.

“Never before have we seen this kind of huge jump anywhere in the world that within a period of two years we actually achieve an average eight percent increase in routine immunization.”

He emphasised that if the positive trajectory continues in the next eight months, and with access to some of the areas in the Northeast, Nigeria will be declared polio-free.

He further disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari will soon launch the National Primary Health Care Fund, which he assured would be another milestone to boosting healthcare service to mothers and children under five.

The Fund, he said, when inaugurated, will provide close to free primary health care to Nigerian mothers and children under the age of five, especially those in the rural areas saying, “Getting caregivers to bring out their children for immunization, access roads, and standard health care facilities has remained a major challenge to the organization.”

The meeting is expected to provide feedback to states and LGAs on RI performance using results from Q4 of 2017 to Q3 of 2018 exercise.

Present at the meeting were immunization officials from 105 LGAs drawn across15 Northern states, identified as low performing areas are attending the event.

Others were the Agency’s national and states officials, as well as representatives of key International donors including International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC), WHO, UNICEF.