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Health and Child Care National Cold chain technician Mr Frank Chiku (centre) shows Ministry’s Principal Director Curative Services Mr Sydney Makarawo (left) and UNICEF Chief of Health Mr Nejmudin Kedir Bilal (right) some of the 12 vehicles donated by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations at a ceremony in Harare yesterday. —Picture by Justin Mutenda

Collen Murahwa and Tatenda Charamba
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) yesterday donated 12 vehicles to Government to be used for immunisation programmes. Receiving the cars at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Child Care Principal Director Curative Services, Mr Sydney Makarawo, said the donation would go a long way in ensuring that the immunisation programme reached all parts of the country.

“The vehicles will improve integrated outreach in hard-to-reach communities, and enhance disease surveillance and logistics at provincial and central levels,” he said.

“The vehicles will facilitate availability of vaccines at service delivery levels at all times, as well as enhance the capacity of the health facilities to offer integrated health services.”

The vehicles, worth $315 000, were distributed to different provinces.

In a speech read on her behalf, Unicef Deputy Country Representative Dr Jane Muita said it was imperative that children received optimum health services.

“The first five years of a child’s life are the most critical in their development, marking a time of building a strong foundation for their future,” she said.

“Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health innervations to date, saving millions of lives and protecting countless children from illness, disability and death.”

Dr Muita added that most children who die under the age of five succumb to pneumonia and diarrhoea.

“Unfortunately, this burden is borne largely by developing countries such as Zimbabwe, where currently pneumonia and diarrhoea are the third and fourth largest causes of death in under-fives children, respectively,” she said.

“With the assistance of organisations such as GAVI, vaccinations save 2 to 3 million lives every year.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) report of 2014, 69,2 percent of Zimbabwean children were fully immunised.

Zimbabwe has a 92 percent measles/rubella coverage and 94 percent coverage.

Zimbabwe has been reported polio-free since 2005.

GAVI has supported Zimbabwe since 2001 to date, through grants for Immunisation Services Support (ISS), Health Systems Strengthening (HSS), New Vaccine Support (NVS), Injection Safety Grants and vaccination campaigns.

To date, GAVI has supported Zimbabwe with an estimated $87,6 million in form of both vaccines and cash grants.