UNB, New York :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday received the prestigious ‘Vaccine Hero’ award in recognition of Bangladesh’s outstanding success in vaccination to immunise children.
Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisations (GAVI) conferred the award upon the Prime Minister at a ceremony at the Conference Room 1 of the UN Headquarters.
GAVI Board chair Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala handed over the award to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Receiving the award, Sheikh Hasina dedicated it to the people of Bangladesh. “This award is not of mine, it’s the award of the people of Bangladesh,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the success of Bangladesh in vaccination programme is now globally acknowledged.
The Prime Minister urged the people of the country to continue the vaccination programme to develop a healthy new generation that will build a prosperous Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
Hasina hoped to reach the target of ‘vaccines for all’ in the country well ahead of 2030.
She said the sudden influx of 1.1 million ‘Forcibly Displaced Rohingyas’ in Cox’s Bazar from Rakhine State is a formidable challenge to our health sector as they did not have access to any proper health services in Myanmar.
“We’ve taken extraordinary measures to raise immunity of the Rohingyas through vaccination campaign and routine immunisation. We’ve successfully conducted cholera vaccination, dealt with diphtheria and measles outbreak at the camps,” she said.
Hasina said Bangladesh is the first country to use Gavi’s updated fragility, emergency and refugees’ policy to carry out Gavi-supported vaccination campaigns for Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar. “I thank GAVI for supporting us in this initiative.”
She mentioned that when the Rohingays started entering Bangladesh, the government gave them various types of vaccines so that their diseases do not spread.
“At first we did that from our side. Later, we had got support from various international organisations, especially from the GAVI,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh’s hard-work for vaccination is now globally acknowledged.
“I’m equally honoured to receive the ‘Vaccine Hero’ award on behalf of Bangladesh and all the frontline health workers of my country,” she said.
Hasina mentioned Bangladesh was honoured with GAVI Alliance Award in 2009 and 2012 for its outstanding performance in improving the child immunisation status.
“Ensuring health and nutrition to all has always been a political commitment to our people. Through the Visions 2021 and 2041, we want to take the country to a stage which would be able to ensure the basic healthcare and sufficient nutrition for all,” she said.
Hasina said immunisation has been the greatest public health success story in Bangladesh and she wanted to thank the Vaccine Alliance and other partners for their continued support and contributions.
