By Asma’u Ahmad
The Enugu State Government has ordered for procurement of wide range of vaccines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Federal Ministry of Health.
The Director of Public Health in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Okechukwu Ossai, made the disclosure when he spoke with newsmen in Enugu.
Dr. Ossai noted that the issue of lack of some vaccines meant for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children would be a thing of the past before the end of October.
He noted that the ministry understood what mothers and families go through getting some vaccines, especially the very expensive pneumonia vaccine in public pharmaceutical stores.
“Knowing that the success of the free maternal and child care lies on effective vaccination package, the government had expanded its vaccine cold storage store.
The state government through the health ministry had ordered for wide range of vaccines from WHO and the Federal Ministry of Health.
“The routine immunisation exercise in state-owned health facilities would allow these vaccines to get to our targeted strata of the society,” he said.
Ossai also revealed that a team from the WHO and the Federal Government Ministry of Health had recently inspected and certified the state’s expanded vaccine store.
He said that the expended vaccine store now had two alternative power supply – generating set and solar panel.
Newsmen report that vaccines would be the major option of easily achieving the health target of the state government since it is affordable as well as meant for massive use and coverage. It would be recalled that the state government for over a year had been running free maternal and child healthcare in all its health facilities in order to assist mothers and children meet their health needs.
