Sri Lanka’s policy is timely immunisation for every child: President

• Joins effort to raise $ 7.4 b at virtual Global Vaccine Summit 2020

Every child born in Sri Lanka enjoys the right to easy and equitable access to quality immunisation services, and the country’s immunisation policy is based on the right of a child to receive timely immunisation, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday.

President Rajapaksa made these comments joining the virtual “Global Vaccine Summit 2020” which took place yesterday with the goal of raising $ 7.4 b to distribute vaccines to combat infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera, measles and HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest countries of the world over the next five years.

The Summit was organised with the participation of the UK, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations, foundations, public sector, and civil society.

“Sri Lanka invests in quality vaccines which are pre-qualified by the WHO and registered. Our objective is to safeguard the quality and potency of the vaccines to ensure adequate immune development in each child,” President Rajapaksa told the Summit.

Emphasising the importance of the resumption of childhood vaccination as a priority in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Rajapaksa said the challenge ahead of Sri Lanka is to continue to maintain the quality of the National Immunisation Program and timely introduction of newer vaccines as the need arises.

“We are keener than ever to safeguard our success in disease control over the last 30 years,” the President noted.

President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka is ready to share its success story and best practices with the global community.