Lagos govt inaugurates taskforce on immunisation

… urges stakeholders to embrace programme

In a bid to prevent diseases among the children in Lagos State, the State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has emphasised the importance of immunisation, urging parents to vaccinate their children and wards for a healthier future and a disease-free society.

Hamzat made the call on Tuesday, while speaking at an ‘Inaugural meeting of the Lagos State Taskforce on Immunisation and Primary Health Care Services’, held at the Conference Room, Office of the Deputy Governor, Roundhouse, Alausa, Ikeja, emphasising that vaccination remained one of the most effective means of protecting the children in the community “from life-threatening illnesses and ensuring their growth and development in good health.

This was just as he affirmed that immunisation was a collective responsibility that would not only secure the well-being of individual families but also contribute to building a healthier future and a disease-free society for Lagos State and Nigeria in general.

He also charged religious leaders and traditional rulers to collaborate with the state government in sensitising the people on the importance of vaccination and nutrition for their own children, noting that religious houses were always welcome to visit the government for clarification and enlightenment on the different policies put in place.

“Our royal fathers must also help us in the community to spread the good news that we have been able to sustain our health conditions because of vaccination,” Hamzat said.

The deputy governor, while using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, said that contagious diseases had been eradicated in society because of the immunisation process carried out, pointing out that such efforts can be extended to other illnesses.

He emphasised the importance of the inaugural meeting, pointing out that it was crucial to include all stakeholders, such as the State Executives, members of the Primary Health Care Board, Traditional Rulers, Local Government Chairmen, Religious leaders, and others, due to the need for everybody to have an understanding of the severity of the challenge.

The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Lawal Aina, in his address, charged the Local Government Chairmen in the state to encourage the people in their constituencies to ensure their children and wards embrace the immunisation programme to ensure a disease-free environment.

“I want to admonish us to intensify our efforts to do our best in encouraging our people to bring their children out for vaccination, as health education is a key responsibility of the chairmen in ensuring the good and well-being of the people,” said Lawal.

In his opening remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, stated that the primary objective of primary healthcare was to increase the coverage for immunisation within the state.

Abayomi noted that human beings were living longer now because the world had advanced technologically to produce effective vaccines that eliminate both infections that cause immediate sickness and diseases that could lead to complications such as liver cirrhosis with hepatitis, cervical cancer with HPV, and malaria, which could cause significant depletion.

The commissioner further noted that to improve the immunisation uptake in Lagos, the state government needed to work on the aspects that make access to the primary healthcare more attractive to citizens, urging traditional rulers, Local Government chairmen, and stakeholders to collaborate with the government to further boost the capacity of the primary healthcare.

“So, we are working diligently on renovating our primary healthcare platform. We know that many of you want to provide infrastructure to the state, and at the moment, we are doing 47 PHCs. So, I will be appealing to you to tag into this medical infrastructure transformation,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary HealthCare Board, Dr Ibrahim Akinwunmi Mustapha, in his welcome address, explained that the establishment of the taskforce reflects the second ‘H’ in the THEMES + agenda of the state government.

Mustapha said that the move was a strong commitment to strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) governance, driving accountability, and ensuring that no one was left behind in accessing life-saving vaccines and essential health services, adding that the Taskforce had been constituted to provide a high-level platform for coordination, oversight, and problem-solving in the delivery of immunisation and other PHC services.

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