By Mary Jalingo
Coalition on Maternal and newborn child in Niger State (CoMiN) has called on the state government to prioritise funding for immunization activities by ensuring adequate and timely release of fund for Routine immunization in line with the 2016 budgetary provision.
The call was made during the coalition monthly meeting held at Pearls Care Initiative office Minna, the state capital.
The coalition also appealed to the state government to dedicate a budget line for Routine Immunization for improve performance of budgetary provision in that regards, adding that with the recent outbreak of polio virus in the country especially in the north east, there was need for the government to show some level of commitment in the fight to eradicate polio in the country.
CoMiN also observed that government needs to be open and transparent in financing of RI activities and to ensure full participation of civil societies and the Media for a successful routine immunization exercises in the state considering the fact that the counterpart funds from the state government in the last IPD round five exercise in the
state was only funded by partners.
It also call on the government to increase number of health facilities with functional Solar Refrigerators for effective storage of vaccines noting using a vaccine that was not potent was a waste of resources.
The coalition urged the state government to ensure adequate sensitization campaign to further educate the general public on the increase of rounds of the immunization exercises which was necessitated by increase of immunization rounds to 8 in order to wipe the state and the nation if polio vaccine.
