Dr. Thomas Winsum Anabah, a former medical director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, has criticized the Ghanaian government for failing to make proper preparations for the purchase of infant immunization vaccinations.
His statement comes in response to recent allegations of a measles outbreak in Ghana's northern region due to a scarcity of several vaccines required for routine infant immunization. Dr. Anabah claimed in an interview that city officials neglected to give scheduled immunizations priority.
"The government simply refused to fulfill its obligations because the immunization program is a global module that is understood by every country. You can arrange to have immunizations for your nation in a year or two. To obtain us the vaccines, the government's lack of urgency, ignorance of their significance, and combined incompetence on the parts of the health and finance ministers are to blame, he claimed.
Additionally, Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, general secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses' and Midwives' Association, accused the Ghanaian government of being unintentionally negligent on kid immunization.
"There was a movement from other vaccinations to COVID-19 in general, but the government showed no regard for the needs of the weak. I believed that we were negligent in making sure that children received the recommended dosages of the necessary childhood vaccinations. Nurses' primary responsibility is to administer vaccines, and systems of accountability allow us to keep track of our stock levels and communicate critical ones to our superior. The Ministry of Health was in charge of acquiring the vaccines; it was not our responsibility to look for vaccines, he claimed.
"Perhaps we over-concentrated on COVID-19 vaccinations even when we knew some of the investors will pull-out," the author continued. "The government failed to sufficiently budget for these crucial vaccines.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) Ghana Country Office's Technical Officer in Charge of Immunization, Fred Osei-Sarpong, stated that despite routine immunization being carefully planned to ensure that children are immunized, currency depreciation was an external factor that contributed to the shortages.
However, Mr. Osei-Sarpong reaffirmed the WHO's unwavering dedication to helping Ghana reach immunization coverage. "We have engaged appropriate stakeholders to procure boats and other logistics for healthcare workers in order to deliver health services to kids in riverside communities," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service confirmed the arrival of pediatric vaccination vaccinations in a press statement dated March 12, 2023. "The Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service has just taken delivery of some childhood vaccines that have been in short supply in the country for some time," according to a statement signed by the director general, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye. BCG, OPV, and measles vaccines are included, together with any necessary accessories (needles, syringes, safety boxes, etc.).
According to a 2015 WHO estimate, "about three million children under five years of age die each year in the African Region, and a significant number of these deaths could be prevented by vaccines."
Players in the health sector highlighted the production of vaccines in Africa as a long-term intervention to prevent shortages within the continent in order to solve difficulties connected to vaccine accessibility. Only 1% of vaccinations are manufactured in Africa, hence African nations currently rely heavily on imported vaccines from Asia and Europe.
In April 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, African Union Heads of State and more than 40,000 esteemed participants in a virtual summit on "Expanding Africa's Vaccine Manufacturing for Health Security" acknowledged Africa's limited capacity and capabilities for vaccine manufacturing and supported the establishment of the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), which aims to scale-up vaccine manufacturing in Africa by utilizing pan-African and international partnerships.
As a result, African authorities set the goal of producing 60% of the continent's routine immunization requirements domestically by 2040. African nations like Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Rwanda are currently constructing vaccine manufacturing facilities.
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a prominent supporter of boosting vaccine knowledge and innovation, promoting vaccine research and development, and increasing vaccine access and uptake globally. As the continent moves closer to producing vaccinations, there should be constant diplomatic pressure for efficient procedures that will ensure the timely delivery of vaccines, according to Vince Blaser, Director of Advocacy and Outreach, Vaccine Acceptance and Demand.
The Global Health project Initiative: Vaccines and Immunization in Africa of the International Women's Media Foundation provided funding for this project.