By: Saidu Jalloh
In a landmark event to recognize the efforts of Sierra Leone Health workers and Immunization Partners, UNICEF has presented a congratulatory letter to the Ministry of Health for their hard work and dedication to make sure that every child in Sierra Leone is vaccinated.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby expressed his gratitude to healthcare workers for their sacrifices in which they made to get children vaccinated.
“It was not an easy task, some cross river and even climbed mountains to make sure that the least villages get this vaccine,” Dr. Demby explained.
He also thanked UNICEF for recognizing their work and also health partners for sponsoring the immunization even in this challenging economic climate and that also to the parents for believing healthcare workers and allowed their children to get vaccinated.
Dr. Demby underscored that they had a vision and direction that they want to take health in this country and that health funding is not expenditure but an investment, he furthered that health is not an end in itself, health is a part of human development, and every life matters in Sierra Leone.
The Minister, Dr. Demby also outlined that they want zero preventable deaths in Sierra Leone and they don’t want to lose any child, so one of the tools they are using to curb that menace is the vaccine availability and roll out, and that the letter from UNICEF is a testament that they are doing a great job.
Furthermore, he highlighted that they extended health facilities in the provinces like: Karene, Falaba, Bonthe, Kambia and Kenema and these facilities would allow them to do their work in the provinces.
He demonstrated that they had a commitment to go green and to weed out fossil plant which are expensive to run and generating toxic gases.
Dr. Demby disclosed that they had a drug now that would prevent a mother to transfer HIV to her child same with tuberculosis. He noted that Sierra Leone had been rated higher in the continent in terms of child vaccination.
Mr. Rudolf Schwenle, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone in presenting the letter stated that UNICEF had recognized the hard work of Ministry of the Health and all Immunization Partners to making sure that every child in Sierra Leone get the vaccines.
Mr. Schwenle stated that it was a laudable venture and he prayed that it continues because they want to see that every child is safe from preventable diseases.
Desmond Maada Kangbai, programme manager of the Expended Programme Immunization (EPI) mentioned that they had been very focused on immunization and that they had rolled out the malaria vaccine and polio immunization vaccine and recently the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr. Kongbai said that they are currently planning for a nationwide immunization campaign, and that Sierra Leone has been invited by different countries to share experiences and mentor some.
