Gavi Ambassador, Dr Awele Elumelu, has said that the contributions of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs are key to delivering innovations that would revolutionise healthcare system in Nigeria. Chairperson of Avon Healthcare, Elumelu also called for partnership from the private and public sectors to provide solutions to Nigeria’s poor health infrastructure, absence of medical equipment and poor healthcare coverage. Speaking at a press conference organised by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency to celebrate the African Vaccination Week, in Abuja, yesterday, said: “The efforts to achieve widespread immunisation coverage cannot happen without the effective collaboration of the public and private sectors. ‘‘This is why partnerships with public health organisations such as the NPHCDA matter. On the national scale, immunisation yields healthy dividends for countries. Research shows that every dollar spent on childhood immunization will save $16 in healthcare costs, lost wages and lost productivity while providing a return on investment of as much as $44. “As we mark Africa Vaccination Week, I am here to remind you that vaccines are safe, they are accessible and they are free. And you should trust me – I ensured that all 7 of my kids are vaccinated.

This is also a call to action for federal and state governments to support vaccination efforts by allocating more funds to the health budget. Lastly, change begins and is sustained through the grassroots. SMEs and entrepreneurs are key to delivering innovations to revolutionise healthcare,” she added. Countries across the world, through Gavi support, have immunized 65 million children in 2017, bringing total number of immunized children to 127 million from 2015 to 2017. The non-profit says it is on track to help countries immunize 300 million children between 2016 and 2020.

In Nigeria, data from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency shows that about 1.9 million children under the age of one have been immunized against measles as well as other preventable diseases in the last two years, with figures expected to increase by the year end. GAVI pledged $1 billion to the Nigerian government in the fight against preventable diseases in Nigeria, according to the non-profit chair. Also speaking at the press conference, the executive director and chief executive officer, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib said Nigeria witnessed a rapid reduction in number of children without immunisation from 3.3 million in 2015 to 1.4 million in 2018, with the number expected to drop to less than one million in 2019.