Agotime-Ziope District to improve on low immunization coverage

Mr. Michael Kobla Adzaho, Agotime-Ziope, District Chief Executive, on Thursday called for investigations into the low immunization coverage for children in the District.

The District was said to have recorded the lowest immunization coverage in the country in 2009 and among the lowest in current surveys.

Mr. Adzaho said, “This situation is highly unacceptable. It can’t be true. We have to do something about it fast.” He said the situation was contrary to the high level of government’s interventions and support to the health sector and asked health workers in the district to improvise to improve the situation. Mr. Adzaho was addressing the second quarter stakeholders planning committee meeting on the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) support project with Civil Society Organizations at Kpetoe.

It was organized by Seek to Save Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization working on awareness creation on immunization in the District.

Mr. Adzaho said though the District was a deprived one, it was among the fastest developing districts with massive infrastructure development and expressed the hope that with the little efforts by health workers the situation would improve.

Madam Patience Nunoo, Agotime-Ziope District Health Director, said the Directorate was unable to meet its target for the half year and attributed this to mobility problems due to poor road network, lack of motorbikes for health personnel, as well as accommodation problems.

She said this made it difficult for health personnel to access the vastly dispersed communities.

Ms. Commend Anyam Akpeloo, Volta Regional Chairperson for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Health and Chief Executive of Seek to Save Foundation said her outfit was able to erase superstitious beliefs with many mothers now desirous of having their children immunized, but could not access the service.

“It is pathetic that now that many mothers in the villages wait at home for their children to be immunized our nurses do not go there due to poor roads,” she lamented.

Ms Akpeloo, therefore, appealed to the district assembly to improve on roads in the district and provide other forms of support to ensure that children, especially those in very remote areas, were immunized.**