Online Reporter
Nduduzo Tshuma in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, chief executive officer Dr Sania Nishtar has commended Zimbabwe for its strong performance in immunisation, saying the country has made remarkable progress across key vaccine programmes.
Dr Nishtar paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit here, where the two discussed Zimbabwe’s immunisation achievements and opportunities for deeper cooperation in expanding vaccine coverage.
Speaking after the meeting, Dr Nishtar said Zimbabwe’s immunisation coverage rates across routine vaccines were encouraging and reflected sustained commitment by Government to public health.
“I was very pleased to convey to him that Zimbabwe has done remarkably well when it comes to immunisation. The immunisation coverage rate for all the vaccines are very good,” said Dr Nishtar.
She singled out progress made in the rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, describing the gains recorded since 2022 as significant.
“As far as the HPV vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer, the progress from 2022 to now is remarkable, and we look forward to working with the country to explore the introduction of the malaria vaccine and the hepatitis B birth dose,” she said.
Dr Nishtar also applauded Zimbabwe for meeting its financial obligations under Gavi’s co-financing model, which requires beneficiary countries to contribute towards the cost of vaccines.
“I thanked the President for fulfilling the co-financing obligations for vaccines. As you know, Gavi works in a model where Gavi pays and the country pays for vaccines, so it is very good news that Zimbabwe has paid the full cost,” she said.
Gavi helps to vaccinate more than half of the world’s children against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases. As part of its mission to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines, the alliance has helped vaccinate more than 1.2 billion children in 78 lower-income countries, preventing more than 20.6 million future deaths.
The engagement comes as President Mnangagwa continues to use his participation at the World Governments Summit to strengthen international partnerships and advance Zimbabwe’s development priorities, including health sector resilience.
Discussions with Gavi are expected to support Zimbabwe’s ongoing efforts to broaden vaccine access, strengthen primary health care systems and safeguard public health gains, particularly among women and children.
