The Department of Health is dedicated to immunising all children in the country by 2020, says Health Secretary Pascoe Kase.
“My office will organise a coordination meeting with all stakeholders to mobilise resources and efforts to prevent children dying from preventable diseases and illness.”
He made this comment in Port Moresby today when receiving two vehicles from the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the department immunisation program, called Special Integrated Routine EPI (Immunization) Strengthening Program (SIREP).
“We now have immunization services offered in all 89 districts throughout the country through 745 health facilities but could reach only 60 per cent immunisation aged children,” secretary Kase said.
Meanwhile, WHO PNG Representative Dr Pieter Van Maaren said 13 children dies before reaching the age of five from common childhood illness in Papua New Guinea.
“This lists PNG among the six high priority countries flagged by WHO as needing urgent and immediate improvement,” Dr Van Maaren said.
“These children can be protected by full and complete routine immunisation. We have made progress. But almost 40 per cent of our children are still not fully immunised.”
He added that many children die from preventable diseases like measles, meningitis, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B and pneumonia.
SIREP was rolled out in most of the provinces since its introduction and implementation into the National Immunisation Program in August 2015.
Caption: Health Secretary Pascoe Kase in one of the donated vehicle from WHO.