GMCH STORIES

Management of Vaccines for Strengthening

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27 Apr 17
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Union Health Ministry, Government of India is promoting Universal Immunization Programme and vaccine management at all levels and has fixed 90% immunization targets by the year 2021. Its plans to have a robust immunization process complete from supply to delivery. IIHMR University Jaipur to conduct a Management Development Programme on Logistics Management of Vaccines with a special focus on Strengthening Cold-chain. The programme will be from 24th April to 28th April with 23 participants from Bhutan, India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Sudan, Seychelleswho are a mix of vaccine logistics managers, pharmacists, managers, procurement officers, and store in-charge working public and private sectors.

India’s Universal Immunization Program is one of the largest in the world and caters to 26 million infants and 30 million pregnant women, saving 2.5 million lives each year. The program has contributed significantly to saving the lives of millions of children and ensuring that they thrive.

According to data in Handbook for Vaccine and Cold Chain Handlers 2nd Edition India 2016, it has been pointed out that India hopes to achieve 90% full immunization coverage over the next 5 years by strengthening its immunization supply chain and has to spend about INR 20,000 million every year in the immunization programme. The IIHMR’s Management Development Programme objectives will provide the participants with the tools and techniques for effectively managing the supply chain of vaccines with added focus to the cold chain management thus ensuring the safety of the vaccines. They will be exposed to real situation to help them to find the practical solutions and implement them in their own settings.

Dr. PR Sodani, Dean Training, IIHMR University Jaipursays, “There have been tremendous efforts by many healthcare organizations and agencies to suffice the growing need of Universal Immunization but, we must not neglect the fact that about 30% to 35% Indian children miss benefits of full immunization every year. The country records about 5.5 to 6 lakh child deaths annually due to vaccine preventable diseases. This calls for an intervention to deliver lifesaving vaccines in time to the targeted beneficiaries. The IIHMR University Jaipur will be conducting a training programme for 23 participants from seven countries namely Bhutan, India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Sudan, Seychelles working as vaccine logistics managers, pharmacists, managers, procurement officers, and store in-charge working public and private sectors, considering the need to understand safety parameters related to vaccines.”

A well-managed supply chain of vaccines is the most fundamental step for ensuring safety of the vaccines. As the complexity in the vaccination programme are increasing day by day, healthcare professionals should be able to provide solutions to the managerial and operational challengesin supply chain management of vaccines namely vaccine handling, stock management, minimizing vaccine wastages, handling emergency situations, storage, and distribution etc.

Dr. Sodani further added, “Cold chain management is the most crucial and inherent component of supply chain which determines the potency, safety, and efficacy of the vaccines and should be properly addressed at each and every delivery point of supply chain of vaccines. Real time temperature recording, monitoring and mapping, maintenance of cold chain equipment's, documentation, reporting and management information system (MIS) are some of the important aspects which should be routinely monitored and evaluated for effective programme delivery.”

According to recent reports, over 25% of vaccines go waste globally, mainly due to losing its potency before the vials were opened. As per the report on vaccines spoilage by Associated Press, of all the wastage in a fiscal year, 62% wastage happens due to spoilage of vaccines, and to the industry it costs more than $ 20 billion in a year. Most of these vaccines expire due to the wrong placement of the data logger which is placed within the ice box to control the temperature of vaccine during transportation. To address this issue of vaccine packaging and solutions organizations, UNICEF suggested under the “Last Mile” project, that Phase Change Material could be potential solution for Vaccine Transportation.

Dr. Sodani concluded that, “A well-executed management of supply chain of vaccines with due attention to safety aspect can provide the right vaccines in the right quantities, in right condition, at the right time, in the right place and at the right cost to the target population and builds the trust of the public in the health system of the country.”

IIHMR University Jaipur is designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for District Health Systems based on Primary Health Care and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India identified IIHMR as Institute of Excellence for training and capacity development.

About IIHMR University:
An Exclusive Health Research and Postgraduate University. The IIHMR University is a specialized Research University in management research, postgraduate education and training exclusively in the health sector. The University aims to generate new knowledge and technologies to provide evidence and inputs for developing effective policies and health interventions and strategies. The origin of the IIHMR University has its roots in pioneering and significant contribution of Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Jaipur in the last three decades to policy and program management research, and capacity development in health and hospital management in India and South-East Asia, which has enabled it to attain the status of a university. Over the last 30 years, IIHMR, working as a WHO Collaborating Centre for District Health Systems and designated as an Institute of Excellence by the Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare, has played a major role in promoting and conducting health policy and program management research. The Institute has been instrumental in a paradigm shift in the management of health care and hospitals in India. A critical mass of professionally trained health and hospital managers has been produced by IIHMR. For its contribution to management education, it has gained several Leadership Awards. In addition, IIHMR has become a major destination for training and capacity development in leadership and strategic management, hospital management, disaster management, quality management, project management, health management information systems, and health economics and finance.

Collaborating Institutions and Universities: World Health Organization; SEAPHEIN; Johns Hopkins University, USA; Chester University, UK; Mahidol University, Thailand; SAARC TB Institute; The UNION; Afghan Public Health Institute, Kabul; BP Koirala Institute of Public Health, Nepal. The Institute undertakes training, research and consultancy in health management in close collaboration with international organizations such as UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, ODA, DANIDA, KFW & GTZ, NORAD, CARE and USAID. Working for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (GOI), Planning Commission, Indian Council of Medical Research, state governments and others. International Linkages collaborated with University of North Carolina, USA to offer masters programme to candidates from South-Asia.
About IIHMR University Training Programmes:
Training is one of the most important activities at IIHMR and our MDPs fulfill this need. The primary objective of most of these programmes is to enhance leadership and managerial competencies to improve the performance of Health SystemsThese programmes are meant for senior and mid level officials who would like to keep themselves updated with the latest concepts, ideas, tools, and techniques in managing Health Systems in better way. IIHMR has strong and dedicated multi-disciplinary faculty team to deliver these programmes with their rich insight and experience. Besides offering MDPs, IIHMR University Jaipur also conducts training programmes for organizations specifically tailored to suit their requirements.


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