The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Ministry of Health has received more than 5 million doses of vaccines for children after facing shortages across various regions of the country.
With an allocation of Ksh.1.25 billion, the ministry has procured routine childhood vaccines, emphasizing the importance of caregivers taking their children for immunization now that the vaccine supply is restored. Vaccines that were in critically low supply include BCG, Oral Polio, Tetanus-Diphtheria, and Measles Rubella.
In a recent announcement, the Ministry disclosed the reception of 1,209,500 doses of Measles Rubella, 3,032,000 doses of Oral Polio Vaccine, 1,000,000 doses of Tetanus-diphtheria, and 3,129,000 doses of BCG vaccines.
These vaccines are being processed for distribution to nine vaccine storage facilities across the country, aided by refrigerated trucks to ensure timely delivery.
Acknowledging the decline in vaccinations, particularly evident in April, the government emphasizes the need for health workers to collaborate with community health teams to ensure all missed vaccinations are caught up with.
The government commits to ongoing engagement with the National Treasury to secure increased and dedicated resources for the immunization program, exploring innovative financing options to prevent future stockouts.
The shortage was exacerbated by delayed payments and reduced budget allocation for routine vaccine procurement and distribution.
This shortfall led to an estimated 1.6 million infants, an equivalent number of pregnant women, and 750,000 girls under 10 missing critical vaccines due to a default on a Ksh.2 billion debt to a global supplier.
