Lagos State government has intensified its immunisation campaign in a renewed effort to improve vaccine coverage nationwide.
In collaboration with local government chairmen, religious leaders and other key stakeholders, the state is pushing to ensure that all residents, particularly children are fully immunised against preventable diseases.
At the inauguration of the Lagos State Task Force on Immunisation and Primary Health Care Services, held on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja, Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who also chairs the task force, emphasised the need for collective action.
Dr Hamzat lauded the progress made by the state’s immunisation team in recent years but stressed that more must be done to reach those who remain unvaccinated.
He urged religious leaders to use their platforms to educate the public on the importance of vaccines, and called on schools to ensure that students are properly immunised.
“We want our religious leaders to use their sermons to inform people about the potency of vaccines. We equally want our schools to be aware of their roles in ensuring students are duly vaccinated,” Hamzat said.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening primary health care and announced plans to increase budgetary allocations for the sector to ensure better service delivery.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, highlighted the importance of grassroots sensitisation and robust primary healthcare systems. He warned that communities with weak healthcare platforms are vulnerable to disease outbreaks and long-term health challenges.
“Our primary objective is to increase immunisation coverage. The world now has very effective vaccines that can prevent diseases such as hepatitis, cervical cancer caused by HPV, malaria, and more,” Abayomi said.
He added that improving vaccine uptake in Lagos requires better infrastructure, medical equipment, and skilled health personnel. “To improve the uptake, the services must improve,” he said.
The permanent secretary of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Ibrahim Mustapha, reiterated the state’s commitment to ensuring no one is left behind. He said the task force will strengthen governance, improve routine immunisation across all LGAs, and foster collaboration between the public and private sectors.
“We want to be proactive in responding to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and align our PHC service delivery to ensure optimal performance,” Mustapha noted.
On behalf of local council chairmen, Chairman of Conference 57 and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Hon. Sesan Olowa, assured the Deputy Governor and the task force of their full support for the initiative.
“We are committed to supporting the immunisation campaign and ensuring that it reaches every community in our local government areas,” Olowa said.
