health care for its people. The vaccine is intended for under-one-year-old children, and the full dose is completed when the vaccine is applied three times during the period.
According to an Executive Mansion release, during the official launch of the Pneumococcal Vaccine at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center, the Liberian leader named three challenges that she fears, if not addressed, would seriously hamper the successful implementation of the immunization program: mothers’ willingness to take advantage of the program; funding; and the country’s increased birth rate, with children having children.
Touching on mothers’ willingness to take advantage of the campaign, President Sirleaf expressed fear that mothers, especially in the rural areas, might not complete the doses due to other community activities, including farming. The only way to get the complete treatment would be for health authorities to carry out sustained advocacy and health promotion aimed at encouraging mothers to know the importance of completing the immunization, she said.
On funding, President Sirleaf indicated that one of the surest ways to get the best results from such an initiative, as is done in agriculture and education, is for Liberia to extend its tax base. “Liberians do not like to pay taxes, and we should know that we are the ones to pay for these services. The only way we can do this is by paying our taxes,” the President stressed.
Concerning the growing birth rate, the Liberian leader said that this must be closely monitored due to the challenges it poses to health care delivery. She cautioned health workers to handle the situation with care so that newborn babies are not left out of the program. She then urged the media, especially talk show hosts, to join the campaign geared towards ensuring the successful immunization of Liberian children against pneumonia.
The Liberian leader praised the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, headed by Dr. Walter Gwenigale, for a job well done and for being one of the best performing Ministers in terms of accountability and efficiency.
Also gracing the occasion, the Senate Committee Chairman on Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Peter Coleman, on behalf of the Liberian Senate, assured the Executive Branch of its support to the immunization campaign through budgetary allocation, and pledged to work with his colleagues for increased allotment for immunization.
Senator Coleman, a former Health Minister, noted that of the US$120 million allocated for health in the 2013/2014 budget, US$400,000 was set aside for immunization – an action that has enabled Liberia to reach the Abuja Target. In April 2001, African Union countries meeting in the Nigerian capital pledged to increase government’s funding for health to at least 15 percent.
In her remarks, the United States Ambassador to Liberia, Mrs. Deborah Malac, urged Liberians to work with health authorities to tackle all barriers that could prevent them from vaccinating every child. She believed that all children should be given the opportunity to be immunized, irrespective of where they lived. She renewed her government’s commitment to the Liberia-U.S. partnership and said her presence at the launch demonstrated America’s direct response to supporting the program, describing pneumonia as a threat to national progress.
Dr. Gwenigale, in his statement, spoke of his Ministry’s preparedness to effectively administer the vaccine for the common good of the Liberia of the Liberian child. He advised health workers to use the immunization period to help educate mothers to stop stuffing their babies during feeding, as this has also led to pneumonia-associated deaths.
The Country Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Sheldon Yett, called the launch a wonderful New Year’s gift that a government can give to its people. He praised the Liberian President for committing her administration to the Child Survival Program, and hoped the launch of the vaccine would change the 2013 record which reported that at least 7,000 children under-five died of pneumonia.
The visiting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI), Ms. Helen Evans, said that Liberia’s health sector equally benefited from the ten years of sustained peace – a period when the country scored the highest in Africa in implementing Millennium Development Goal 4, which deals with reducing child mortality. She described the launch of the Pneumococcal Vaccine as a manifestation of the partnership that exists between Liberia and her organization.
GAVIis a public-private partnership focused on saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing access to immunization in poor countries.
Later, Ms. Evans paid a courtesy call on President Sirleaf at her Foreign Ministry Office. She said that the role the President has played, over the years, has had a great impact in raising funds for GAVI. She appealed to the President to continue her advocacy of championing GAVI activities across the globe.
In accepting to do so, President Sirleaf said she felt it an obligation to continue her advocacy for GAVI as the initiative is intended to save the lives of children.
