The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is waiting for the decision of Ukraine's Health Ministry regarding the use of $3.8 million saved during the vaccine procurement.

"Some $3.8 million of the budget funds transferred to UNICEF late 2015 to buy vaccines were saved. UNICEF is waiting for a decision of the Health Ministry on procurement of extra vaccine and medicines," the fund said on its website.

Its experts said that procurement of more vaccines using saved funds will help to vaccinate the larger number of children who were not vaccinated in the previous years.

UNICEF said that the volumes of vaccines requested by the government to buy through the fund are not enough to meet the real needs in the country.

A strategy for covering children with vaccines who missed vaccination due to the absence of vaccines in the country should be drawn up.

"Contracts under which UNICEF bought vaccines in the first half of 2016 are still valid. UNICEF is ready to continue work under them," the fund said.

As reported, the Ministry of Health in 2015 passed procurement of medicines on 12 government programs totaling more than UAH 2.197 billion to three international organizations - UNICEF, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and British-based Crown Agents.