Sindh hopes GPRS service could boost immunisation efforts 

Karachi

The Sindh government will develop a GPRS monitoring system for vaccinators to improve the coverage of routine immunisation, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah told a delegation of Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) on Tuesday.  

The chief minister said his government was committed to eradicate and reduce morbidity and mortalities caused by preventable diseases in the province, through its Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and will certainly act on GAVI’s suggestion of establishing a scientific monitoring system for immunisation.

"We are going to develop a scientific monitoring system for vaccinators to ensure and increase immunisation coverage," he told GAVI’s deputy CEO Anuradha Gupta, senior country manager  Hamidreza Setayesh who had called on him at the CM House.

Other members of the delegation also included WHO program management director Jaouad Mahjour, BMGF director vaccine delivery Orin Levince, Unicef regional advisor Douglas James Nobel and th regional heads of Unicef, WHO, Gates Foundation, USAID and other donor agencies.

The chief minister was flanked by health minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho , Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, health secretary Saeed Mangnijo and the EPI head in Sindh.

He extended his gratitude to GAVI for its interest and support in making Sindh EPI effective and successful.

"I am personally monitoring the progress of immunization programme," he said, adding that its coverage was over 35 percent but special attention was being paid to improve the figure.

The GAVI delegation suggested developing a GPRS monitoring system for both vaccinators and vaccination being administered. It was said that there have been issues pertaining to vaccine coverage and they need to be addressed.  The delegation also observed that deployment and distribution of vaccinators in different areas was not up to the par, which was reflected in immunisation coverage.

The chief minister assured GAVI mission that health department had the required capabilities and will act upon the suggestions.

The GAVI delegation committed future support to
Pakistan with the introduction of new vaccines, Cold Chain optimizing, advocacy and communication activities. The country is one of the major recipients of GAVI support that has amounted to more than $9 million since 2001.

Dr Gupta remarked that there were many challenges in routine immunization services of Sindh. “However, we have observed improvement compared to our last visit of Sindh in all sectors, including program management and service delivery.”