ARC Nigeria broker states, private sector partnership to strengthen vaccine infrastructure

The Africa Resource Centre for Supply Chain in Nigeria (ARC Nigeria), an independent advisor and strategic partner, founded by Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is brokering states and private sector partnerships in strengthening the country’s vaccine cold chain infrastructure.

This is coming on the need to reverse the sub-optimal maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes and poor health service delivery in the country, according to a press statement made available to BusinessDay.

Speaking at the knowledge sharing and Hackathon Workshop on supply chain organized by ARC Nigeria, NPHCDA and Solina Group, Kayode Ogunniyi, executive secretary, Osun State Primary Healthcare Development Board, said that the survival of Nigeria as a nation depends on the quality of healthcare that is giving to children particularly the under-5 that constitute 20 percent of the total population.

“Giving them the right vaccines at the right time is a strategy to secure their wellbeing. A robust knowledge of vaccine supply chain with a view to protecting vaccine integrity from the manufacturers to the administration to the child is a task that must be done. Thanks to National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), ARC Nigeria and Solina for this initiative,” Ogunniyi said.

According to experts, despite the marginal improvements and millions of dollars of supply chain investments by development partners and bilateral donors to address supply chain system challenges, Nigeria’s public health supply chain has continues to be ineffective, inefficient, fragmented, and wasteful.

The experts stated that the deficits in vital supply chain and management functions in the country’s public health supply could impede the government efforts to improve coverage and health outcomes in Nigeria.

Samuel Jiya, program manager, Immunisation Vaccine and Logistics, Niger State, revealed that the workshop has created a platform that will strengthen Public-Private Partnerships in the immunisation and vaccination space in the country.

“It has facilitated direct engagement of players in the private sector and public wing. Personally, for Niger State, we have outlined our challenges and proffer new innovations in tackling them,” Jiya said.

Sharing private sector engagement experience in healthcare, Trip Allport, Project Last Mile Delivery Lead, BMGF, disclosed that his organisation which is an initiative of BMGF in partnership with Coca cola is an example of how the private sector is engaging with the public sector to develop an innovative solution with the aim of providing access to essential medicines and medical supplies in African.

““PLMD in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is proud to support Nigeria in strengthening the vaccine cold chain, tapping into the capabilities of The Coca-Cola Company.

“By leveraging the local expertise and business partners of the Coca-Cola System in the country, we believe we can contribute to a marked improvement to maintaining a functional vaccine cold chain, meaning more children will have effective vaccines available at the point of care.

“Over the past couple of months, PLM has been developing the programme concept and framework with the NPHCDA at Federal level and plans to now pilot a new model of cold chain equipment maintenance at the State level with Lagos State in 2017/18, and if successful, will endeavor to expand this support to other states in Nigeria,” he said.

Anthonia Obokoh