POST 00689E : FROM HFC/CFC TO HC-BASED REFRIGERATION
Follow-up on Posts 00513E, 00634E, 00638E, 00644E, 00648E, 00654E, 00663E
and 00673E
24 June 2004
____________________________
Modibo Dicko (mailto:
[email protected]) from WHO AFRO comes in support of
Abdoulaye Djigo's comments on training needs (POST 00663E) and makes a
special appeal to programmes and their partners.
____________________________
I would like to support what Mr. Djigo said concerning the training of
refrigerator users, namely the head nurses at health posts and EPI district
or provincial supervisors. As a matter of fact, a health technology
consists of the following three elements:
a) The equipment
b) The usage and maintenance procedures
c) The user
Correct use and maintenance of refrigerators is a prerequisite for an
adequate vaccine management. Now that GAVI supports the introduction of
high cost new vaccines in the EPI routine programmes, it is important to
make efforts at all levels in order to protect such vaccines against
damage, namely freezing.
In this context, the training of users, such as nurses at peripheral levels
and EPI district and provincial supervisors for proper vaccines and cold
chain management is of paramount importance. For several years, all efforts
to carry out training on management and maintenance of the cold chain have
been stopped by the lack of interest on the part of partners, under the
pretext that those who get trained always leave for the more lucrative
private sector. The funds allocated by GAVI for strengthening immunization
services could certainly be used to fill up the financial gap. However
these funds aim at a quantitative goal linked to increased immunization
coverage measured by DTP3. As a result there is a real rush towards DTP3 in
countries, as soon as GAVI funds are allocated. Unfortunately in the
process, issues related to quantity overshadow those of quality.
We would like therefore to appeal to programmes and their partners to give
back to vaccines and cold chain management training the priority it
deserves in the implementation of routine EPI activities. This is necessary
to support the current efforts being made by many countries to "Reach
Every District".
Modibo Dicko AFRO, Harare
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