Country: Sierra Leone
Case: Immunization Legislation
Presented By: Hon. A.B.D. Sesay
Chairman, Parliamentary Health Committee
House of Parliament
Sabin Peer Review Workshop onSustainable Immunization FinancingAbuja, 19th – 21st April, 2016
Presentation Outline
•Problems
•Responsibilities
•Immunization Legislation
•Challenges and Next Steps
Problems
Currently no legislation on immunization financing
•The National EPI Policy guidelines include:
–All vaccines are to be provided free of charge
–Need to achieve financial sustainability of the NationalImmunization Program;
–Alignment and integration of immunization financing withnational planning and budgeting processes and timelines;
–Need for urgent enactment of Immunization Legislation
• Chapter II, Section 8 (Social objectives), Provision 3 of the1991 Sierra Leonean Constitution states that the governmentwill ensure that all citizens have easy access to adequatemedical and health facilities.
Responsibilities
–The Ministry of Health and Sanitation isresponsible for ensuring adequate access tomedical and health facilities, including vaccines;
–The Ministry of Finance and EconomicDevelopment is primarily responsible for thefunding of the National Immunization Program(with support from partners and donors); and
–The Parliamentary Health and SanitationCommittee provides oversight and support.
Champions
•House of Parliament
–Hon. A.B.D. Sesay, Chairman, ParliamentaryHealth Committee
•Ministry of Health and Sanitation
–Dr. Brima Kargbo, Chief Medical Officer
•Ministry of Finance and EconomicDevelopment
–Mr. Edmund Koroma, Financial Secretary
–Mr. Peter Sam-Kpakra, Deputy FinancialSecretary
Immunization Legislation - 1
•The legislation is being developed, and will bebased on the National Immunization Policy; it willaffect:
•Which vaccines the country uses
•Financing of vaccines
•Vaccine procurement
•Regulation of vaccine safety
•Mandatory vaccinations
•Access to vaccines: Target groups
•How, by whom, vaccinations will be provided
Immunization Legislation - 2
•Three pronged approach to the development ofimmunization Legislation:
–Parliament, the Law Officer’s Department (LOD),MOHS and MOFED are collaborating to produce aCabinet Paper as a precursor to a draft law. The LODis to spearhead the law drafting process immediately;
–Inclusion of immunization-related clauses in the 1960Public Health Act that is under revision and will haveto be ratified by Parliament; and
–Submission of Private Member’s Bill by the Chairman,Parliamentary Health and Sanitation Committee, Hon.A.B.D. Sesay.
Challenges and Next Steps
–Frequent turnover of members of the Parliamentary Health Committee
–Frequent changes of the management of the EPI
•Potential Solutions.
–Identify and mentor some permanent clerical staff of the HoP who could maintain aninstitutional memory that will be useful when briefing new parliamentary committeemembers
–Intensify efforts to institutionalize EPI innovations like introduction of SIF advocacyactivities into the routine immunization and SIA planning cycles
•Implementing Authority.
–House of Parliament – Speaker and members of the health committees and theParliamentary Forum for Immunization
–Ministry of Health/ Child Health-EPI
•Next Steps. Convene regular meetings withParliament, Law Officers’Department, MoHS/ EPI, and MoFED to consultatively chart the wayforward.
Thank you.