‘Vaccine coverage improves by 97pc’

LAHORE: The real time monitoring data established by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) reports that the use of technology has improved the vaccine coverage from 36 per cent (2014) to 97 percent (2017) in Punjab. 

“The untiring and dedicated efforts of field workers made the significant improvement possible in Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization and turned around vaccination services through technology”, said PITB Chairman Dr Umar Saif on Monday. 

During a review meeting, the PITB chairman was informed that 3,483,105 children were administered 33,478,582 vaccines including BCG, OPV, Measles, Pentavalent and Pneumococcal through 3,774 vaccinators in the 36 districts of Punjab. Among these districts the progress noted that Jhelum, Mianwali, Okara, Multan and Attock district covered 100pc vaccination activity and remained at top while Lodhran (85pc), Toba Tek Singh (91pc), (Khanewal 91pc), Gujrat (94pc) and Mandi Bahauddin (94pc) remained at the bottom.

The PITB provided smartphones to the vaccinators with applications to digitize their fieldwork and monitor attendance and performance. The smartphones were used to enter real-time immunisation records that were then sent to a centralised database.

Attendance of field workers in the Punjab rose from 36pc in 2014 to 94pc in 2017 and geographical coverage improved from 25pc to 97pc in the same period as a result of this intervention.

The PITB replicated this programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan. In KPK, vaccinator attendance improved from 34pc in August 2016 to 75pc in May 2017. Currently, the project is functional in three out of five provinces.

According to Pakistan Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), 27pc deaths among children under five years are caused by diseases that could be prevented through vaccinations. These diseases include poliomyelitis (also known as polio), neonatal tetanus, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis-B, Hib pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis.

As part of their mission to eradicate polio, the EPI enlisted the help of the PITB to address vulnerabilities in the programme. 

workshop: A two-day workshop on “chromatography techniques” was inaugurated on Monday at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS). The Quality Operation Laboratory (QOL) of UVAS organised the workshop.

Punjab Forensic Science Agency Director General Dr Mohammad Ashraf Tahir and UVAS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha co-chaired the inaugural session. Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences Prof Dr Masood Rabbani, Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf (r), Director QOL Dr Aamir Ghafoor Bajwa and participants from public and private institutions attended the inaugural session.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Prof Dr Talat Naseer explained the importance and applications of chromatography in different fields including livestock. Dr Ashraf Tahir described the applications of chromatography in biotechnology, and forensic science.

Objectives of the workshop were to highlight the importance of chromatography, update about latest applications of advanced chromatographic techniques and provide hands-on-training to the participants. Meanwhile, the 51st syndicate meeting of the UVAS was held on Monday. Prof Pasha presided over the meeting, in which various issues were discussed.