Experts deflate Ehanire’s vaccine waste response

• FG saves N16.4b from donated vaccines, commits to local production

Sopuruchi Onwuka

Some medical experts speaking exclusively to The Oracle Today have dismissed government’s explanations over the expiration of about one million units of novel coronavirus disease vaccine donated to the country.

A number of the medical professionals lamented the situation as regrettable, pointing at the country’s ‘very low’ vaccine coverage and high vulnerability of teeming masses wallowing in heavily congested cities like Lagos, Onitsha, Aba, Port Harcourt and Kano.

Our correspondents sought independent opinions on the explanation of the government which admitted that about one million units of donated AstraZeneca vaccines from Europe would now be disposed after they expired in the custody of the government.

They blamed the situation on poor emergency management strategy, insisting that the vaccines could have been rapidly deployed to address the under 10 percent coverage of the nation’s 200 million population.

The Oracle Today reports government as stating that some of the donated vaccines delivered to the country had residual shelf lives, leaving very short time for their use. It also stated that delays in transportation of the vaccines, import clearance at the ports, distribution and delivery to users and logistics bottlenecks led to overstay at holding facilities and subsequent expiry.

Government however said that international network that donated over 10 million COVID-19 vaccine units helped in save the country some N16.4 billion or $40 million in procurement cost.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who issued a response to reports of expired vaccines in the country, said that while government remains grateful to donors of vaccines, it would no longer accept short-life products that would not give room for proper management before they expire.

 

Dr Ehanire said his ministry was relating with donors to ensure that vaccines close to expiry are not shipped to the country to avoid repeat of the reported experience that would now lead to thrashing of about one million of the 10 million units of vaccine donated to the country.

He pointed at efforts of the government to build a local plant for vaccine production as the ultimate resolution of all issues arising from vaccine procurement and administration in Nigeria.

The Oracle Today reports that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government currently seeks a $30 million World Bank loan to finance a vaccine plant in Nigeria in collaboration with May & Baker Nigeria Plc.

The local vaccine company which is billed to commence in 2022, a year before Buhari leaves office as president, is named Biovaccines Nigeria Limited with government holding minority stake of 49 per cent and May & Baker Nigeria Plc holding the operating interests of 51 percent.

To be on fast track, the plant will initially ‘fill and finish’ by importing the raw materials for the vaccines and then packaging them for distribution.

Dr Ehanire said the plant when completed would address issues of vaccine procurement in the country and also refine the country’s receipts from the COVAX or AVAT facility supported by mainly European countries that “have offered us doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of their stockpiles, free of charge.”

“These donations are always acknowledged and thankfully received. However, some of them had residual shelf lives of only a few months that left us a very short time – some just weeks – to use them, after deduction of time to transport, clear, distribute and deliver to users. If such vaccines arrive back-to-back or are many, logistic bottlenecks occasionally arise.

He pointed out that Nigeria has challenged with vaccine shelf lives, and would not accommodate extension by manufacturers “because it is not accommodated in our standards.”

He added: “The Ministry of Health shares its experience with partners regularly and now politely declines all vaccine donations with short shelf life or those that cannot be delivered in time.”

 “Donors also recognise a need to give away unused vaccines, before they expire in their own stock, but they need to begin the process early enough and create a well-oiled pathway for prompt shipment and distribution through the COVAX and AVAT facilities, to reduce risk of expiration. With better coordination, vaccines need not expire in the stock of Donors or Recipients,” Dr Ehanire stated.

 He made it clear that “Nigeria has utilized most of the over 10m short-shelf-life doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far supplied to us, in good time, and saved N16.4B or more than $40m in foreign exchange. The vaccines that expired had been withdrawn before then and will be destroyed accordingly by NAFDAC.

“The long-term measure to prevent such incident is for Nigeria to produce its own vaccines so that vaccines produced to have at least 12 months to expiration. This is why the Federal Ministry of Health is collaborating with stakeholders to fast-track the establishment of indigenous vaccine manufacturing capacity. This is a goal we are pursuing with dedication.”

However, some experts that spoke to The Oracle Today on the development blamed the situation leading to expiry if donated and highly needed vaccines on poor logistics, faulty planning, slow policy implementation and infrastructure deficit in the local environment.

One of them who runs a private health facility in Abuja blamed the government health agencies for failing to address all the challenges enumerated by the minister as clog in the logistics chain, especially given the urgency of developing herd immunity to curb the rate of spread among the urban populace.

He said governments around the world are granting emergency approvals to facilitate development and distribution of vaccines against the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic; and wondered why issues of logistics and import clearance for items as important as vaccines should be part of the excuses.

A consultant epidemiologist at a high brow hospital in Lagos who also spoke in confidence detailed prevailing vaccines handling challenges in Nigeria to include cryogenic storage facilities, stable electricity supply, developed in-country capacity for efficient and speedy inoculation under emergency situations.

He pointed out that all vaccines arriving the country could have been effectively administered if all private and public health facilities are built into the plan, adding that vaccination could be made part of the normal pre-treatment checks in every health facility to facilitate decongestion at the center.

They advised government to evolve a pan-industry coordination mechanism for immediate flow of vaccines across the well regulated healthcare channels and ensure prompt administration of the vaccines to all citizens of the country.

On attempts by some state governments to enlist private healthcare facilities that charge money for donated vaccines, our sources made it clear that it should be the responsibility of such state government to procure the services of the private partners in a manner that would still make the vaccines free for the people.