The Scottish Government has pledged £1.5 million to United Nations children’s organisation (UNICEF) to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in three African countries, Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi.
- Apart from the COVID-19 vaccination programmes, the funds will be used to strengthen the health systems in these countries by way of equipment, resources and technical support.
The Scottish Government has pledged £1.5 million to United Nations children’s organisation (UNICEF) to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in three African countries, Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi.
Apart from the COVID-19 vaccination programmes, the funds will be used to strength the health systems in these countries by way of equipment, resources and technical support. About 6.5 million vaccine syringes will be supplied in Rwanda, to ensure that sufficient vaccination equipment is available to use the vaccine without delay.
In Malawi and Zambia, UNICEF will reach out to ten million people to promote awareness and build confidence and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines at community level. The funding will be utilised to improve oxygen supplies, procure oxygen generation plants and strengthen vaccine storage infrastructure. These measures are expected to build a sustained impact in Malawi and Zambia, for both the COVID-19 response, the routine immunisation programme and the treatment of respiratory illnesses for years to come. Overall, the funding will provide key interventions to strengthen their national health systems.
The funding will play a vital role in supporting equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, remarked Antoinette Eleonore Ba, UNICEF Health Specialist for Eastern and Southern Africa. She added that though some of the countries in Eastern and Southern Africa have successfully tackled the pandemic, there are gaps in the operational planning and logistics of COVID-19 vaccine roll outs.
