Members of the public have been told to disregard myths and misconceptions attached to immunization while calling on religious and community leaders to mobilize people using their influence.
The Quality and Advocacy Coordinator for Save the Children International Better Opportunities for Optimising Targeted Immunization for Zero Dose and Under-immunized Children (BOOST) Project, Dr. Itunu Dave-Agboola, made the call in Lagos.
The organisation emphasised the importance of accountability in health financing, stressing the importance of funding for immunisation and evidence-backed policies, noting that sustained efforts towards improving child health investment, specifically routine immunisation towards self-sufficiency, are imperative.
“The ultimate goal is a Lagos State where routine immunisation is sustainably financed, well-documented, and embraced at the community level.
Our goal is to generate evidence-based advocacy briefs to influence policy and boost domestic resource mobilisation,” she explained.
She explained that the findings of the budget tracking will be used as an advocacy tool to stakeholders at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Legislative body, the Executive, and all stakeholders for a better understanding of the importance of funding for routine immunisation.
“Beyond the support of implementing partners, we need to do a domestic resource mobilisation such that routine immunisation will be sustainable even beyond the support of partners because partners’ projects are always time-bound.”
Dr Dave-Agboola advocated the resuscitation and upgrade of primary healthcare centers as they play a very big role in immunization of children, noting that this will translate to making healthcare workers want to stay, especially in the hard-to-reach areas.
Meanwhile, key stakeholders in Lagos State’s health sector, under the State Ministry of Health, at a 2-day strategic review session organized under the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (LASAM), have identified actionable steps for better service delivery and health budgeting across the state.
The forum entitled: “LASAM Health Budget Performance Review, RMNCAH+N Scorecard & Essential Life Savings Commodities Validation Meeting with support from Save the Children International.
The activity, which marked another milestone in strengthening accountability mechanisms and aligning policy efforts toward achieving improved health outcomes across Lagos State,
set a renewed tone for RMNCAH+N accountability in Lagos State, paving the way for integration, innovation, and measurable progress.
The review sessions were steered by the Chairman of the Evidence sub-committee, Mr. Basit Baruwa, a Director at the MEPB, Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Economic Planning.
Participants at the meeting resolved on the need for improved synergy across MDAs, even as they identified fragmentation and gaps in service coordination.
The session also revealed a critical funding gap for the health promotion unit within the Ministry of Health.
Stakeholders noted the absence of dedicated financial support for this vital department, and the Ministry of Budget plans to explore options to fund and rejuvenate the unit, enabling it to drive consistent public health education campaigns.
There was a general caution against pushing for higher allocations without demonstrating utilization of released funds, with stakeholders agreeing that budget performance must be actively tracked to ensure impact and to strengthen future advocacy for increased health funding.
The meeting emphasized the role of media in bridging information gaps, especially regarding immunization services, and plans were suggested to publicize access to free vaccinations and nearby facilities through digital and broadcast platforms.
There was a strong call for deeper youth engagement, particularly with adolescent girls, in promoting maternal and child health values throughout communities.
Another key takeaway was the imperative to expand the inclusion of CDCs and CDAs, as participants agreed that peer-driven health promotion can yield more impact than top-down approaches.
It made a unified call for strengthened coordination across health MDAs, expanded grassroots inclusion via CDCs/CDAs, and revitalized health promotion units with adequate funding through transparent budget tracking to justify further allocations and strategic use of media for service awareness and youth-led advocacy and education campaigns.
The meeting brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (PHCB), Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition (DFHN), LISDEL, other CSOs, Gates Foundation, the Ministry of Economy, Planning & Budget (MEPB), the Evidence, Advocacy, and KMCS sub-committees, among different stakeholders.