By the end of 2030, the government is anticipated to have fully funded its national immunization program with domestic resources
The country's acquisition of middle-income status and the subsequent cessation of funding from the development partners have made this necessary (DPs).
The Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), which has made significant contributions to the bolstering of health systems over the years, has been funding the nation's immunization program with 80% of the cost and delivery of vaccinations.
As part of the processes towards ownership of the funding, the government last Friday engaged DPs within and out of the health sector in a high-level meeting on how to sustainably finance immunisation in the country after it is weaned off GAVI support in 2030.
The meeting brought together representatives from several international missions, including the World Health Organisation, legislators, health professionals, representatives of vaccine manufacturing firms, academicians, financial forecasters and experts in resource mobilisation and financing.
It is to enhance the country’s efforts and paths towards a sustainable vaccine self-financing as it transitions out of GAVI support.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, in a speech read on his behalf, said the country was currently in a transition period towards a sustainable domestic financing for immunisation.
He said GAVI supported approximately 80 per cent of the cost of vaccines and their delivery, including health systems strengthening over the years.
That, Mr Agyeman-Manu said, had helped the country to implement commendable high-quality preventive and reactive vaccination campaigns in response to public health emergencies.
In order to finalize interventions on the country's ability to withstand that independence and consolidate the gains without sacrificing quality and pride, Mr. Agyeman-Manu stated that this was the reality of the country. He therefore called for high-level discussions both inside and outside the health sector in order to establish functional systems for coordination, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
He said the reflections stakeholders needed to have at the high-level meeting and beyond ought to be premised on strong political, legislative and more especially, fiscal commitments to health outcomes that could support viable sustainable options for effective implementation.
A misallocation of public health funding was revealed by the 2022 health expenditure review.
Only 12% of these monies are routed through the National Health Insurance System and the remaining 80% go through the Ministry of Health budget.
In a remark that was read on his behalf, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Ken Ofori-Atta, praised the Ministry of Health for organizing the high-level meeting and said that it was crucial to forging alliances for a long-term self-financing pathway for immunization.
He said that the ministry had acknowledged the significant immunization costs necessary to maintain or build on current gains.
Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiono, Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), highlighted some of the effects of the shift of GAVI support, stating that the nation would have less timely and limited access to vaccines and logistics as opposed to when they were provided by GAVI.
He claimed that's because GAVI wouldn't be supporting and negotiating vaccine prices for the nation any longer.
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