The Government of Togo has set up a Consultative Technical Group on Immunization, GTCV-Togo.
The group was inaugurated on January 25, 2017, during a workshop for members on the directions to be given to their mission with the technical and financial support of the West African Organization for Health, WAHO.
It is an advisory body responsible for providing guidance to the Minister of Health and national immunization officers in the formulation and implementation of relevant national immunization policies and strategies In line with national priorities in this area.
This group, composed of Togolese experts in different disciplines, is responsible for issuing opinions or recommendations in the field of vaccines and vaccination after a rigorous analysis of the facts available at national, regional and international level.
Consequently, policy-makers and health officials are being urged to observe more rigor in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of immunization policies and strategies.
This requires the establishment and strengthening of an independent group of national experts called the Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (GTCV) in intermediate-income countries and countries eligible for GAVI Approaches to solutions to immunization issues.
These advisory bodies constitute a technical resource providing guidance to national policy makers and program managers to enable them to implement evidence-based immunization policies and programmatic decisions.
In Togo, the Government understood the interest of such a group and in June 2015 it adopted the decree No. 2015/096 / MS / CAB / SG / DLMPSP / DI establishing the composition and composition of the Technical Advisory Group On Vaccination (GTCV).
This is in line with the Global Vaccine Plan of Action (2011-2014) and the Regional Strategic Plan for Immunization (2014-2020) endorsed by the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, which invited countries to establish Technical advisory groups for immunization.
To enable such a group to have all the legitimacy required and to fully fulfill its mission, function, roles and responsibilities, official launching and strengthening of the group’s capacities are essential.
The RTAG-Togo’s roles and responsibilities are to analyze current national immunization policies and strategies (Routine EPI, AHV and Epidemiological Surveillance), to propose, if necessary, the necessary adjustments for vaccination policies and strategies;
To propose optimal strategies for the control of diseases preventable by vaccination; Advise national authorities on relevant strategies to monitor and evaluate the impact of immunization activities;
To inform the national authorities on the latest scientific developments and innovations in the field of immunization and vaccines;
To establish partnerships with other immunization advisory committees and to advocate national authorities, civil society and the private sector to support national immunization policies.
“We are confident and confident that the group will live up to our expectations and we implore God, the Almighty to accompany them. Our department will ensure that the GTCV-Togo succeeds, by providing the means necessary for its operation.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the technical and financial partners and particularly the West African Health Organization (WAHO) for the technical and financial support provided to the event “. “Said Professor VOVOR Ahoéfa, Director General of Studies, Planning and Health Information, representing the Minister of Health and Welfare.
It should be noted that this initiative is also supported by WHO, which participates in the orientation work of this group.
The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) has been implemented since 1980 by the Government of Togo to reduce the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially among women and children.
It is a key element in the arsenal put in place by the Government to promote a state of mental, physical and social well-being. Vaccination has long been one of the most cost-effective health interventions and is therefore one of the best long-term investments to prevent disease and give children a good start in life.
New discoveries and reforms of new vaccines and new technologies have for some years already established a new context with new challenges and challenges for vaccination, hence the importance of this advisory group.
