THE shortage of Vitamin A capsules, which surfaced because of complications in the procurement system, has yet to be resolved. This is worrying in that Vitamin A deficiency, along with malnutrition, is said to be partly adding to the high number of children’s deaths caused by measles, confirmed or suspected. The special assistant to the prime minister on health, at a press conference at the Directorate General of Health Services on May 13, said that although the government was administering Vitamin A capsules to children infected with measles, it was not in a position to conduct a nationwide Vitamin A campaign because of a supply shortage. He said that Vitamin A capsules had earlier been procured under an operation plan that had ceased to exist, creating complications in the procurement process. The supply shortage does not allow the government now to carry out a nationwide campaign for Vitamin A administration. But he hoped that the supply of Vitamin A capsules would be normal by June, noting that the capsules would be administered to children in two phases.
The short supply of Vitamin A capsules amidst the ongoing measles outbreak, also reported to have been caused by the supply shortage of measles vaccines because of changes in operational plans that have brought down vaccination rates over the past few years, is, thus, worrying. The director general of the Directorate General of Health Services has said that the measles vaccination coverage has already reached the target of 95 per cent, which is needed for herd immunity, of the 18 million children identified for immunisation. The official data released on May 13 show that the vaccination coverage has exceeded 104 per cent and the campaign is scheduled to continue until May 20. In such a situation, the prime minister’s special assistant says that the measles situation is now stable as the outbreak is neither increasing nor decreasing significantly. He hoped that infection would begin to decline in two to three weeks as immunity from vaccination usually develops in three to four weeks. There have so far been 432 cases of death caused by measles, including 69 confirmed in laboratory tests, and 60,026 cases of infection, including 7,150 cases confirmed in laboratory tests. Officials say that most of the deaths related to measles were associated with complications such as pneumonia and malnutrition. The proposition suggests that the government has issues to address to streamline public health.
The government is reported to have prioritised the health sector, with plans to restructure the healthcare system and increase the budgetary allocation to 1 per cent of the gross domestic product. The sooner the government does this, under a comprehensive reform plan, the better.
