Stakeholders in the healthcare sector recently held a virtual meeting to deliberate and discuss plans for Covid-19 vaccination in Nigeria and the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
This comes in the wake of a second of the deadly COVID-19 virus in the country as a new variant of the dreaded disease has been reported in the UK leading to a surge in cases in London, southeast England and other parts of the world.
Speaking at the webinar, the minister of State for Health, Olorunimbe Mamora, shared the Federal Government’s strategy and plans for mass vaccination.
He said, they are looking at the availability, accessibility and affordability of the vaccines, and are also examining the acceptability level from Nigerians as well as the procedure of administering and accounting for it.
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Having all that in mind, according to him, the government then had to join the COVAX Facility like some other countries have done, so as to be in a position to have access to vaccines in an equitable manner.
“The agency that has been at the forefront of this planning is the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). Our projection is that by 2021, 20 percent of the vaccine needs of the country would have been covered by the COVAX facility, while the federal government will cover another 20 percent with the operational cost,” Mamora added.
On the cost of the vaccines, he said they are reviewing the efficacy of the vaccines to ensure safety for our citizens and currently exploring the options of acquiring these vaccines through bilateral and multilateral engagement.
Engagements with the World Health Organization (WHO), and the West African Health Organization (WAHO) are ongoing to join countries towards large procurement at reduced prices, according to him.
However, there are a lot of cost factors, one of which is the storage cold-chain issue of some of the vaccines, as some of the vaccines must be stored in such cold temperatures that may not be possible cost-wise.
For instance, if we are looking at the vaccines that we will need to store at minus 70° then it may not be feasible cost-wise, the minister explained.
“So, we will be looking at the other vaccines that require a temperature of minus 20° as opposed to the one that requires minus 70°,” he told stakeholders.
The online event was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), themed “Status of Covid-19 Vaccines in Nigeria: Available options and opportunities for public-private partnerships.”
Essentially, the meeting focused on vaccination, particularly because there is an ongoing second wave of the virus in the country.
The president of HFN, Pamela Ajayi, said people are worried and need information.
In addition, she noted that apart from the conspiracy theories, people are concerned by the speed with which the vaccine was produced when compared to other vaccines, “these are the reasons for the deliberations.”
Acting also as a moderator for the gathering, the vice president of HFN, Njide Ndili, re-echoed the need for the federal government to engage and partner with the private sector and the importance of public-private partnerships towards containing the Covid-19 virus.
In his keynote address, Tobias Rinke de Wit, director of Research, PharmAccess Group, gave a comprehensive lecture on the status of the Covid-19 vaccines globally.
His also shared insights on the new Covid-19 mutant, different vaccine developments and their stages of approval or administration, peculiarities of each vaccine and its costs, as well as best options for Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN), Leke Oshunniyi, chairman, HMCAN, presented some ideas on how the private sector can partner with Government.
He also requested private sector representation in the Technical Working Group for the Covid-19 vaccine planning committee.
