Panel discussion: Do immunization programmes contribute to health system strengthening in low and lower middle-income countries?
Info Center (5th floor) at Norad, Bygdøy Allée 2, Oslo
Date: 23 March
Time: 09.45 – 10.45
Please arrive 15 minutes before the panel starts.
Background
Support to vaccines and child immunization services has been an important part of Norway’s and the global community’s development assistance within global health. Significant achievements have been made in the last decades, including in vaccinating children globally.
During the pandemic, essential health services including routine immunisation programmes, were disrupted. While disruptions were seen in most countries and health care settings, data and analysis demonstrate that resilience of the health system was a key factor for an effective response. The pandemic has confirmed the importance of robust health systems.
This has led to renewed attention towards health system strengthening, primary health care and integrated service delivery in global health. The current global health architecture with major Global Health Initiatives is oriented towards specific disease interventions and less focus on systems building. What does this mean for global health development assistance and how can major Global Health Initiatives, such as Gavi, contribute?
Objectives
In this panel discussion we take the opportunity to explore the following overarching questions with our expert panelists:
- How do specific programmatic efforts, such as immunization programmes, support health systems strengthening in low and lower-middle income countries?
- Building on the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic – how can we better strengthen the integration between specific programmes, health system strengthening and the health security agendas?
The panelists to discuss these critical issues are:
- Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi
- Camilla Stoltenberg, Director General, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- Annette Abelsen, Director, Section for Global Health and Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway
- Ola Hodne Titlestad, Deputy Director, HISP Centre, University of Oslo
- Concluding remarks by Bård Vegar Solhjell, Director General, Norad
Moderator is Lisa Sivertsen, Director, Department for Human Development, Norad
Norad, in collaboration with Gavi, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, University of Oslo, Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
