Afrigather Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has performed a essential position in serving to African nations safe lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines. It has additionally supported nationwide efforts to take care of vaccination campaigns for different vaccine-preventable illnesses in the course of the pandemic. Dr Marthe Sylvie Essengue Elouma, Regional Head for Francophone Africa at Gavi, shares challenges, classes realized from the pandemic and methods to construct again higher well being techniques.
What labored nicely when your group was supporting nations to reply to COVID-19 pandemic?
We supported nations in lots of areas together with fast entry to funding, technical help, Chilly Chain gear and others. To every this goal, Gavi improved its inner processes of accessing funding by introducing extra flexibility and simplification within the software, assessment and disbursement processes.
We additionally labored with expanded programme of immunization (EPI) in nations to introduce flexibility for them to reallocate 10% of the Well being System Strengthening funding as a way to reply to the pandemic and shield routine immunization companies. International locations had been additionally allowed to reallocate in-country funds or funds not but disbursed by Gavi to particular actions to take care of, restore and strengthen routine immunization.
In our expertise a number of issues labored very nicely. This consists of fast entry to funding, complementarity with different funding sources and leveraging current improvements to help Covid 19 response. We labored nicely with different companions to construct synergies and keep away from duplication of efforts in our help to nation applications. As well as, nations the place a digitalized knowledge system was in place have built-in Covid knowledge on this system to allow them to have knowledge that might assist them to raised plan, implement and monitor the response to COVID-19.
What challenges did you face?
Our main working contact in nations, the EPI had too many competing priorities that always they struggled to soak up the funding flexibility that we launched for them to entry extra funding to help the response. As well as, the EPI workforce wasn’t concerned within the decision-making course of thus wasn’t in a position to affect choices associated to Covid-19 based mostly on their expertise within the area. Due to velocity of execution of the response typically it was troublesome to measure the influence. The EPI groups with weak capability additionally delayed implementing key immunization actions.
What’s your recommendation as Africa is strategizing on constructing again higher?
Being centered on actions that might deliver tangible and sustainable outcomes is essential for nations’ preparedness. This requires prioritization and sources allotted accordingly as a way to achieve success. Donors and companions must prioritize their help in areas of their aggressive benefit.
Authorities and companions must collectively put together the system beforehand. As Gavi, we expect it is vital for nations to leverage all current funding within the nation together with Covid-19 sources to construct resilient well being techniques. We must always help nations in constructing data techniques that seize good high quality knowledge for determination making, constructing a surveillance system that can facilitate early detection of outbreaks, supporting nations put in place strong monetary administration techniques that may make sure the environment friendly switch of funds from the central to the neighborhood stage to facilitate implementation. Furthermore, procurement techniques must be improved to facilitate entry to items together with throughout a pandemic. Equally, EPIs must be strengthened with managerial and communication capacities to affect determination making at excessive stage. We are able to additionally reply higher if we now have higher coordination, higher strategies of measuring outcomes.
