Kathmandu, February 22:

The government will increase the immunisation coverage from the current 84 per cent to 100 per cent by 2015 if the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) approves a proposal for a Health Systems Strengthening Plan and funds $20 million for the coming five years.

In this connection, the National Health Sector Co-ordination Committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Amik Sherchan today endorsed the HSS Plan proposal submitted by a technical working group.

Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, chief of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), Child Health Division, told this daily that the proposal is most likely to get the GAVI approval because it meets the required criteria.

The proposal has to be submitted to the GAVI by March 2 in Geneva and if approved, related programmes will be implemented from May.

“Increasing the coverage of vaccination alone is not enough but the issue of delivery and the distribution of vaccines by skilled health human resources are equally and the proposed HSS aims to address that problem,” said Dr Upreti.

It is not possible to increase the coverage of immunisation because only 33 districts in the country have proper medical stores with good referigeration system, informed Dr Upreti.

The GAVI has been funding $5 per child for immunisation in Nepal. This is the largest investment per child in the South East Asia Region.

HSS will help strengthen health workforce mobilisation, distribution and motivation targeted at those engaged in immunisation and other health services and concentrate on supply, distribution and maintenance systems for drugs, equipment and infrastructure for primary health care along with the organisation and management of health services at the district level and below.

“We are hopeful that with the approval of this proposal we will be able to achieve the immunisation coverage goal from the present 84 per cent to cent per cent by 2015,” said Arjun Bahadur Singh, spokesperson at Health Ministry.

GAVI had provided more than $2 million for Immunisation System Support (ISS) including hard cash and commodities in last five years beginning from 2000.