Dormaa Municipality records lowest coverage of immunization in Brong-Ahafo

Dormaa Municipality has been identified as the lowest District in the Brong-Ahafo Region in terms of coverage and performance on national immunization.

Miss Evelyn Bema Darkwa, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Vice Chairperson of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, who made this known, said the Municipality was rated the 22nd lowest in immunization coverage in the country in 2015.

She was speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of Asikasu in the Dormaa Municipality to mark the Regional celebration of the World Immunization Week.

Ms Darkwa, who is the Executive Director of the Human Care Maintenance Foundation (HUCAM), a non-governmental organisation, noted that immunization coverage was low in the municipality because of poor knowledge, education, and transportation problems.

She said it was very urgent for the government to establish the national immunization fund, as Gavi , the Vaccine Alliance, a public–private global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunisation in poor countries pulls off its annual funding on immunization by 2022.

Ms Darkwa explained that improving immunization coverage was vital to promoting child health and reducing childhood diseases and deaths.

She observed that although, childhood immunization had been a major national development goal since 1970s, the country had 40 districts with very low coverage and low performing.

Mrs Darkwa emphasised that the country required strong political leadership and will for sustainable and improved programming on immunization.

Source: GNA