Guyana continues to makes strides in the delivery of public healthcare across the regions and has been formally recognised for its stellar work in the area of immunization.
According to Ministry of Health (MoH) release on Monday, Guyana has received official correspondence from the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Americas, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, congratulating the country for its exceptional immunisation coverage for 2023.
The letter stated, “The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) wishes to congratulate the Co-operative Republic of Guyana for the encouraging results in routine immunization coverage obtained in the last year, as reported in the Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) published by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF)”.
The release explained that under the Expanded Programme on Immunization, the MoH currently
administers vaccines for 17 antigens including whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, yellow fever, diphtheria, tetanus, mumps, rubella, haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, pneumococcal, meningococcal, human papilloma virus, and varicella.
The MoH also highlighted that although four of the country’s10 administration regions are classified as hinterland regions and are hard-to-reach and sparsely populated, it has managed to stay on top of its countrywide vaccination programme, through its strategies and interventions.
“Guyana’s success reflects the dedication of leadership and healthcare professionals, the strength of the healthcare system, and the government’s commitment to health investment. This achievement is important in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases and epidemics and ensuring that key sectors continue to thrive without setbacks caused by public health crises.”
The release pointed out that this success has contributed to the Region of the Americas being the only WHO region to surpass immunisation coverage levels before the COVID-19 pandemic. It cautioned, however, that there is a need for continued progress to maintain this momentum in order to restore the region to the forefront of global immunisation coverage, and advance strategies to eliminate communicable diseases
PAHO/WHO echoed this sentiment, emphasising that despite the positive outcomes at the national level, it is important to achieve consistent coverage across all regions of Guyana, through the use of a detailed internal analysis. Further, with support from their technical cooperation, which includes innovative strategies, it will allow Guyana to reach underserved populations and overcome barriers to accessing vaccination services.
The congratulatory letter also reiterated its commitment to supporting Guyana in advancing vaccination efforts and all initiatives that contribute to consolidating and enhancing immunisation recovery, the release added.
