189,310 children lack access to routine immunisation in South-West — NPHCDA

National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says 189,310 children in the South-West geopolitical  zone lack access to or were never reached by any routine immunisation from January to June 2023.

The Executive Director of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, made this known during the quarterly review meeting of South-West Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery (SWTLC) in Akure on Tuesday.

Describing them as “zero dose children,” Shuaib said “Lagos has the highest count, with 79,279 zero dose children, followed by Oyo State with 53,812 children, Ondo State with 30,280 children, Osun with 19,737 children, Ogun with 3,204 children, and Ekiti with 2,998 children.

He said the children never received any form of vaccination effort and implored  traditional rulers in the zone to consistently advocate for immunisation and other primary healthcare (PHC) services by building on past achievements.

The executive director also urged the traditional rulers to emphasise to their subjects, the significance of regular immunisation and other primary healthcare services to parents and caregivers.

According  to him, stakeholders can overcome obstacles  and enhance the acceptance of vaccines and ensure that every child receives life-saving treatments.

He added that immunisation toward the eradication of all forms of vaccine-preventable diseases remained the agency’s top priority.

He said “your involvement as traditional leaders in promoting vaccination campaigns and community mobilisation remain pivotal in our progress thus far.

“With your support, we achieved remarkable milestones, witnessing significant decline in cases of circulating variant polio virus type 2.

“We must persistently labour until we reach the finish line, ensuring that future generations are shielded from debilitating diseases, especially the vaccine-preventable ones.”

He  explained that the  Federal Government, in collaboration with development partners, would be introducing the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine by September to address the issue of cervical and other types of cancers.

“We would be reaching out to you to help communicate to your communities the importance of these vaccines. We implore  your majesties to share your invaluable insights and contribute to the development of practical strategies that can be implemented at the grassroots.

“Our ultimate goal is to empower our people with knowledge, resources and quality services to lead healthy and productive lives,” the NPHCDA boss said.

On his part, Acting Gov. Lucky Ayedatiwa of Ondo, said the state was proud to host the SWTLC meeting, adding that the traditional rulers’ impacts were felt in promoting primary healthcare service delivery.

Ayedatiwa added that the state often collaborate with Federal Government and development partners in the implementation of immunisation, nutrition, disease surveillance, school health programmes.

He described traditional rulers as gatekeepers of communities, saying they are in unique position to promote health-seeking behaviours among their subjects.

Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said traditional rulers have a role to play in ensuring that their respective domains are healthy, hence the need for their engagement in basic health system.

He explained that the forum would give traditional rulers the opportunity to deliberate toward the advancement of good health among their subjects.

He thanked the health agency for the initiative of the committee, which he described as impactful.

The Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, said the primary healthcare system had addressed and prevented many deadly diseases in the country.