Donor partners will soon withdraw their funding for immunisation exercise in the country, Ms Evelyn Bema Darkwah, the Vice President of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Chapter of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health has hinted.
This, she said, was because successive governments had failed to demonstrate true political will and commitment to improve on national immunisation.
Interacting with Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Minister of Health on the sideline of a fund raising campaign to support immunisation at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Ms Darkwah called for urgent establishment of a National Immunisation Fund.
Ms Darkwah who is the Chief Executive Officer of Human Care and Maintenance Foundation, an NGO, said the fund was needed so that the country could continue with its immunisation exercises after donors had pulled-off.
She explained child health related issues must be given the needed attention to help curb infant and child deaths.
Mr Agyemang-Manu reiterated that the government was working assiduously to establish the Fund, saying that would help the various health directorates to undertake immunisation exercises.
He added that very soon the Ministry would distribute free treated mosquito nets to households, while the aged would also be registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Mr Agyemang-Manu observed that improving national immunisation was a shared and collective responsibility and therefore urged NGOs to support that cause.
Earlier, Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection said 11 million children died globally annually, adding that in Ghana, five babies died out of 250 babies born every day.
She said the government was putting in place pragmatic measures to ensure drastic reduction of infant and child mortalities and also improved on the National Health Insurance Scheme well.
Ms Djaba advised parents to always send their sick children to health facilities, instead of seeking medication at herbal centres.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
