Harefield Gazette

Why we must invest in other health systems

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COVID-19 is in its third year and, thanks to a successful NHS vaccine roll-out, more than 86 per cent of the UK public are now doublevacc­inated and are beginning to resume their normal lives.

But imagine living in a country where the supply of vaccines, PPE and syringes is reliant on the generosity of wealthier countries.

Where, until the pandemic struck, it was a challenge to deliver lifesaving vaccines to children – let alone the Covid-19 vaccine.

Where there was no oxygen supply available should your baby become sick.

And, where millions of people live in remote, rural communitie­s, only accessible via boat or foot, hours away from the nearest hospital.

This is the reality for millions of people living in Bangladesh, a country I visited last month in my role as an Ambassador for the UK Committee for UNICEF, where I saw for myself the devastatin­g impact that Covid-19 has had on a health system that was already crumbling.

I met people only just getting their first Covid-19 vaccine – 15 months after the UK first got ours.

Strong health systems are essential for the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and for ensuring that essential health services, such as lifesaving routine immunisati­on services for children, are not disrupted due to the pandemic.

With World Immunisati­on Week having just been completed, UNICEF UK is calling on the UK Government to continue investing in health systems all over the world to protect children’s futures, no matter where they are born, and end the pandemic – for us all.

Readers can make a difference by signing UNICEF UK’s petition urging the UK Government to protect

children’s futures on the UNICEF UK website.

David Harewood UNICEF UK Ambassador

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