Madrid — The Angolan President, João Lourenço, said on Wednesday in Madrid city, Spain, that the Angolan government invests, annually, about USD 25 million in the purchase of vaccines, in the framework of the routine vaccination program.
Speaking at the Conference on the Global Impact of Vaccination, he informed that the Angolan State has assumed, since 2017, the responsibility of maintaining the routine vaccination program independently.
According to the statesman, despite the various challenges faced by the limited healthcare infrastructure and the huge geographic extent of the country, Angola has made remarkable progress in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines.
João Lourenço said that as part of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Angola has managed to mobilize millions of doses of safe vaccines, with 25 million doses purchased by the Angolan Government for an eligible population of about 18 million people from the age of twelve and up.
"Angolan reality shows the results achieved, the challenges faced, and the ongoing efforts in the immunization field, proving the government's commitment to the well-being and health of all Angolans", he reinforced.
He said that in the scope of the flexibility of vaccination against Covid-19, the Angolan Government took advantage of the experience and integrated the vaccine in the routine vaccination posts, in a process assured not only by the health units, but also by the mobile teams.
To João Lourenço, the fact of reaching 84% coverage with at least one dose of the vaccine among the eligible population, demonstrating the commitment to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens, is most meritorious.
The Angolan President infomed that his government is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the vaccination program, especially with regard to routine vaccination, and will maintain the same dedication in the implementation of the vaccination policy it has been consistently implementing, in the cases of routine vaccination and in the last three years, with regard to Covid-19.
In the task of vaccinating populations, especially children, Angola will continue to rely on the support of its partners, particularly GAVI, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and others who have provided crucial support.
"These organizations provide essential support in the procurement process of medicines, vaccines, and cold chain equipment, ensuring the continuity and success of public health programs", he reinforced.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
João Lourenço praised the hard work and determination of the health professionals, the Defence and Security Forces, as well as the country's partners, who faced various difficulties and logistical challenges to vaccinate as many people as possible.
Nationwide, for the covid-19 vaccination, 1700 people were employed working on the vaccination process, using vaccines from AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson.
The Angolan government's achievements to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic are reflected in the creation of field hospitals in the provinces of Luanda, Lunda Norte, Cabinda and Cunene, with emphasis on the construction of the Specialized Center for the Treatment of Endemics and Pandemics (CETEP) only located in the capital, among other infrastructures.
To date, Angola has registered 105,887 positive cases and 1,936 deaths. FMA/VM/MRA/jmc
