Over the past few years, many countries have worked to increase funding for national immunization programs. Their efforts have helped build institutional capacity to run long-term vaccination services and will ultimately enable countries to save millions of lives and speed up economic growth.
At a two-day colloquium in Dakar, Senegal sponsored by Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Sustainable Immunization Financing (SIF) program, senior representatives from 18 countries will assess their progress to date and discuss key priorities for achieving immunization goals.
At the second Colloquium on Sustainable Immunization Financing (SIF), parliamentarians and government officials from 18 countries will share their experiences and assess best practices for financing their own immunization programs. Discussion will focus on institutional innovations that will help countries identify greater internal funding and secure legislative guarantees for vaccination coverage. Delegates will formulate new plans of action with the goal of achieving sustainable immunization financing by 2016.
Journalists are welcome to attend all sessions to hear from parliamentarians and government officials.
The conference will take place at the King Fahd Palace Hotel in Dakar 5-6 August 2013.
Parliamentarians and government officials representing Cameroon, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Vietnam will be in attendance.
Lower income countries currently finance less than 50 percent of their immunization costs, and external partners provide the balance of the funding. Because this foreign investment is not guaranteed, national governments are working to find ways to reduce their dependence on external funding sources.
Sierra Leone will be represented at the conference by Mr. Sam Morris Aruna of the Ministry of Finance & Economic Development, Dr. Sartie Mohamed Kenneh of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Hon. Mabinty Fatmata Funna, Member of Parliament.
Photo: Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President of Sabin Vaccine Institute.
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