By Muniratu Akweley Issah
Accra, Feb. 22, GNA- Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a Non Governmental Organisation with focus on health and youth development, has urged Queen Mothers to lead advocacy for domestic financing of immunisation to secure the future of children and mothers.
Mrs. Cecilia Senoo, Executive Director , HFFG, said Queen mothers had strong influence in their local communities, hence, their active participation in leading advocacy was necessary.
She made the call at a capacity building meeting on immunisation financing and awareness creation on new vaccines for selected Queen Mothers in Accra.
The capacity building formed part of objectives in the Financing Immunisation Advocacy Response ( FAIR) Project to sensitise traditional and religious leaders to understand the issues as well as their roles and responsibilities to achieve objectives of the programme.
The goal of the FAIR project is to advocate for greater domestic resource mobilisation and increased accountability for results in reaching zero-dose children and increasing immunisation coverage (including newly introduced vaccines).
The objectives are to increase domestic resource mobilisation dedicated to PHC and immunisation service delivery, including vaccine procurement, to ensure timely payment of co-financing obligations and ensure new GAVI-supported vaccines are introduced and the country is aware and willing to meet any related increased co-financing.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), immunisation prevents between 2-3 million deaths globally annually and in Africa, vaccines have been instrumental in reducing the burden of diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and hepatitis B.
The Executive Director said domestic health financing in the country, particularly immunisation, had become critical as donor funding continued to dwindle gradually, adding that it was
necessary to mobilise local resources to support the provision of vaccines in the country, should donor funding finally end.
“We are doing this because there will be a time when funding will seize and we have to take up the challenge and get resources for our own vaccines,” she said.
She said the FAIR project was being undertaken by the HFFG and socioserve-Ghana to advocate and compel the government to increase funding for health, especially, immunisation.
Mrs Senoo said under no circumstance should the country experience shortage of vaccines, as it could be detrimental to the health of beneficiaries, particularly, children and mothers.
The Executive Director said Queen Mothers were role models and had the power to influence change in their local communities and encouraged them to get involved in leading the advocacy.
“We want to see you leading as mothers, wives and women in your communities. We need you to come out and speak to the people on the need to finance immunisation for children and their mothers.”
“You have so much power, so we want you to apply that power to lead advocacy to secure the future of our children in the country,” she stressed.
The Queen Mothers were trained on key messages and strategies to enable them target and convince decision making personalities, including Members of parliament, District Chief Executives, Assembly Members, institutions and organisations as well as the public, using their existing structures.
Queen Mothers, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), expressed their readiness to support the agenda by influencing society to achieve desired objectives..
Nana Awo Kosi Otiuor I, Queen Mother of Swapo, Yilo Krobo Traditional Area, Somanya, said previous advocacies were effective and yielded positive results, saying: “We are ever ready to
take up the challenge to secure more vaccines to protect the lives of children and mothers in the country.”
GNA