Three Steps GAVI Can Take To Vaccinate More Children

“As GAVI concludes its ‘mid-term review’ meeting — where it reflected on its accomplishments over the last few years and looked ahead to how it will position itself in the future — we think it’s a good time to suggest several short- and long-term changes that could help reach more of the children who are missing out on life-saving vaccination,” Manica Balasegaram, executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières’ Access Campaign, writes in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog. “First, humanitarian actors vaccinating in emergencies must be able to buy vaccines at the lowest global prices that have currently been negotiated by GAVI,” he states. “Second, GAVI needs to play a more active role in shaping the development of vaccine products that are easier to use in places with weak health systems,” Balasegaram writes. “Third, GAVI needs to negotiate even lower vaccine prices with pharmaceutical companies,” he continues. “[N]ow is the best time for GAVI to take a closer look at how it can improve its policies, push for easier-to-use products, and negotiate lower prices for vaccines to fulfill this potential,” he writes, concluding, “This is the urgent booster that the world’s children are waiting for” (10/31).

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