Ministry of Health has bemoaned reduced funding allocation for vaccines in the proposed 2022-2023 national budget.

Principal Secretary responsible for Administration in the Ministry, Beston Chisamile, has told the Parliamentary Cluster on Health and HIV/AIDS that the K1 billion funding allocation is not enough.

Chisamile added that much as government depends on donors to finance the vaccines, the K1 billion deficit is a serious setback.

He said: “We have been provided with a billion, but for us to meet the obligations from the partners that normally finance us, then there is a big gap.”

The Principal Secretary has since pleaded with Treasury to consider increasing the allocation.

“The government contribution is on the lower side, that’s why we are asking Treasury to consider adding more resources,” said Chisamile.

Concurring with the Ministry’s concerns, the Cluster’s Chairperson, Matthews Ngwale, said government needs to stop the tendency of relying on donor funds in supporting serious sectors such as health.

“That’s a serious concern, as a country,  we are relying much on donors and we have witnessed that some donors have already started moving away, and we will only be left stranded if we won’t put our own house in order as a country,” he said.

Health sector requested for K2 billion budgetary support for vaccines, but it has only been allocated K1 billion.

In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the health sector has been allocated K283.57 representing 10.0 percent of total budget.