By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 16

The government should find a way for the sustainable management of immunization programmes and work in collaboration with civil society organisation to meet Millennium Development Goals, social organizations stated.

Immunization to children against preventable disease is one of the most cost-effective health interventions and key to achieving the MDGs, said Buddhiman Shrestha, president of Rotary Club Kathmandu North.

Vaccine is the most effective way to prevent some of the world’s deadliest disease, like polio, measles, he said.

To take the full benefit of immunization, there is a need to improve and sustain existing routine immunization performance and evidence based introduction of new vaccine which remains out of reach for our children who need them most, said Dr. Ciro Quadro, executive vice president of Sabin Vaccine Institute.

As Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI), a main source for developing countries, is now facing an acute shortage of fund due to the high price for new vaccines and declining donor agencies. This will reduce people’s access to vaccine in poor countries, the country itself think about long term and alternative sustainable financing to cope with the threat of decreasing international resources, said Ms Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF representative to Nepal.

The developing countries need to think towards the financial sustainability of their routine immunization and financial burden due to the introduction new vaccines, she said.

As healthy child and low mortality rate of mother was an indicator of nation’s prosperity, the Ministry of Health and Population committed to increase its investment in vaccine and join hand with civil society organization.

While speaking at the programme ‘countdown to 2015 and sustainable immunization financing: role of civil society organization’ organized by Rotary Club of Nepal North under the support of Sabin Vaccine institute and Unicef Purna Kumari Subedi, deputy speak at the CA said that the government should come with a long term policy to meet the MDGs.

Representative from DFID, USAID, GTZ and FNCCI, Sabin Vaccine Institute and Unicef took part in the programme.