The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination of the Government of Pakistan, Gavi - the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, came together to sign two new Tripartite Agreements, here today.
One of the agreements signed is dedicated to Health Systems Strengthening and the other for providing continued COVID-19 Delivery Support
The successful implementation of the new support is expected to yield several positive results, including reaching more children who haven't received any regular or routine vaccinations as well as easier access to vaccinations for more people, especially in high-risk areas. In total, 86 selected districts or 3,882 Union Councils (UCs) across Pakistan will be targeted.
Federal Secretary, Ministry of Health Services Regulation and Coordination, Iftikhar Ali Shallwani acknowledged the continuous, generous financial and technical support provided by Gavi for Immunization System Strengthening in Pakistan and the ongoing financial and technical support from UNICEF and other partners for health and immunization programs. “This critical support from Gavi and UNICEF will play a crucial role in our efforts to aim for Universal Immunization Coverage, and to ensure that children, adolescents, and women, especially the most vulnerable, have access to quality and sustainable immunization services” the Secretary said.
The Managing Director of Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance said “Gavi is honoured to continue its engagement with the Government of Pakistan, in partnership with the UNICEF Pakistan Country Office. Vaccines alone do not save lives, which is why Gavi is dedicated to helping strengthen the health systems that are essential to deliver vaccinations. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure this funding will strengthen routine immunization and provide integrated health services to better meet the needs of families in Pakistan.”
“The Government of Pakistan's continuous efforts and support from its partners in maintaining the immunization coverage, conducting intensive activities to vaccinate those left behind and to reach communities in hard-to-reach areas, underscores the commitment to immunize all children in the country, especially those not being reached currently” said Mr. Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.
The new support will include activities across the country including immunization supply chain management, demand creation, programme interventions for governance, policy planning, programme management, integrated immunization service delivery, public-private partnerships, independent programme monitoring, and capacity building for vaccination staff, to mention a few.
The one-year Health Systems Strengthening grant forms part of a larger multi-year and multi-partner partnership.
