Training course on the Expanded Programme on Immunization for mid-level management opens in Lusaka
13th Inter-country training course on the Expanded Programme on Immunization for mid-level management opens in Lusaka
| Lusaka, 2 August 2005-- An 13th inter-country training course on the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) mid-level management for anglophone countries in the Eastern, Southern and Western epidemiological blocks opened in Lusaka today. The 2-week course has been co-funded by WHO/AFRO, UNICEF, USAID and Network for Education and Support in Immunisation (NESI), bringing together 61 participants from 19 countries.
The objective of the MLM training course is to provide EPI managers with a clear framework for conducting their day to day managerial activities and resolving problems that arise in the implementation of their national EPI plans. It is intended to build capacity for strengthening routine immunization systems in order to help countries attain the goal adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in 2002 and the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) partners in 2003 targeted at ensuring that every country attains 90% of children fully immunized at national level with at least 80% DPT3 coverage in every district by the year 2010. The participants will also be trained to develop/revise national EPI plans within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Global Immunisation Vision and Strategy (GIVS) for the period 2006-2015 which was endorsed in May 2005 by the 58th World Health Assembly, the 2001-2005 Regional EPI Strategic Plan and the Reaching Every District Strategy (RED). The 16 revised MLM course modules which will be covered during this course focus on main immunization systems and operations which include; immunization systems, GIVS, Regional EPI strategic Plan, RED approach, problem solving, role of the EPI manager, effective communication, operational planning, logistics, human and financial resources, cold chain, immunization safety, transport, new vaccines, supplemental immunization activities, integrated disease surveillance, monitoring and data management, supervision and immunization services assessment. The training course was officially opened this morning by the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Brian Chituwo. In official opening address, Dr. Chituwo emphasized the importance of effective leadership in EPI programmes and reminded the participants to align their national EPI plans with the Global Immunisation Vision and Strategy. Dr Chituwo however cautioned that the success of saving the child is also dependent upon maximum integration of services targeting other killer diseases such as Diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Respiratory infections, Malnutrition etc. and that this is the only way countries could attain the 4th millennium Development Goal of reducing childhood morbidity and mortality by two thirds by 2015. Speaking at the same function, Dr. Stella Anyangwe, WHO Representative stated that childhood morbidity and mortality in Africa is mainly as a result of vaccine preventable diseases. She emphasized the fact that strengthening immunization systems by improving managerial skills of EPI managers is key to improving immunization coverage rates. The UNICEF Representative Dr. Stella Goings bemoaned the fact that every year 10 million children die before their 5th birthday, with the majority being in Africa. She stated that low immunization coverage rates in African countries are partly attributed to the human resource crisis and called for building of managerial capacities in order for countries to be able to sustain the gains achieved in immunization and to be able to attain the MDGs by 2015. The course has brought together EPI managers, national epidemiologists, logisticians, EPI focal point staff, surveillance officers, tutors and lecturers from health training institutions, maternal and child health coordinators, communication and social mobilization officers, UNICEF and WHO staff from both country and regional offices. The 19 countries represented include Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Equatorial, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Facilitators for this course are from the WHO Regional Office, the WHO Inter-Country Office in Harare and Nairobi and the Country office in Ethiopia and Zambia, UNICEF Regional office in Nairobi and Country Office in Zambia and Zimbabwe and NESI. Available evidence shows that MLM in-service training has contributed to the improvement of the performance of EPI in Africa. Immunization coverage is now increasing within the majority of countries, for example the Regional DPT3 coverage moved from 55% in 2001 to 61% in 2003 . |
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