Public Health Foundation of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, For A Better Health System In India
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare i.e. Swasthya Aur Parivar Kalyan Mantralaya is a department of health and family welfare under Government of India. It comprises of two departments, Department of Health & Family Welfare and Department of Health Research, both are headed by a Secretary to the Government of India.
Universal Immunization Program in India has set targets to achieve full immunization of all target-age children and their mothers. The program aims to deliver vaccines to each state and district in India. It was in 2012 when India declared the year as the Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization (RI). So to continue the efforts of Universal Immunization Program in India, with the guidance of MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and PHFI (Public Health Foundation of India), a unit called as Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) was established in collaboration with other partners.
The efforts by ITSU are being made with national programs to deliver an impactful change in the health system. The core aim of ITSU is to improve the access, reach, quality and coverage of the routine immunization program in India. The major focus is on the key states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh for a proper vaccine delivery system, because these states have the most vulnerable populations, pregnant women and children who are from the financially-weaker families and they can’t afford to spend money for health care and facilities. The awareness about essential vaccines is also provided to such families for a healthy and better India.
Immunization Coverage Monitoring Tool
Timely Vaccination Is The Key To Good Health
Good health is important as it is the key to a good life, and, good nutrition is the key to a healthy lifestyle. If a person is healthy, he will have a strong working heart, muscles, bones and social life too. In India, around 8 in 10 people are suffering from health issues. The root of good health and healthy living is timely immunization to children and would be mothers and most of the people are either unaware of this or are not capable enough to have vaccinations properly and on time.
The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) of the Government of India is working for the betterment in health. They aim to achieve full immunization stage of everyone, especially the target-age children and mothers in India. They are providing the same through state-and district-specific delivery of vaccines and reaching out to the maximum people, mainly the underprivileged ones. 2012 was declared as the Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization (RI) in India. This was the time when the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, started their efforts around immunization and MoHFW entered into MoU, Memorandum of Understanding along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Then came ITSU, Immunization Technical Support Unit, established collaboratively by MoU, MoHFW and PHFI (Public Health Foundation of India), in collaboration with other partners as well. The efforts are being made to make a real change and impact on the health system, various national programs are being organized with the government and other stakeholders including civil society organizations. BMGF gives the funding support to ITSU, which helps ITSU to provide techno-managerial support for scaling up UIP.
ITSU also enables the system strengthening which aims for quality services and they support the implementation of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Multi-Year Strategic Plan for Immunization. They are trying to improve the access, reach, quality and coverage of the routine immunization program in India, focusing majorly on states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for complete vaccination system.
Everything About Child Vaccination In India
India witnesses a Notable Rise in Vaccinations programs
Contagious diseases like smallpox have been eradicated notably in the late 90s after a lot of effort invested in the immunization programs throughout the country. The first immunization programme was launched in 1978 and mainly in urban areas. What was required at this point was an introduction of the same in rural areas.
National Health Mission expanded the immunization programme gradually and broadly in 1980s to rural areas. Since then the programme has been revised and renamed as the Universal Immunization programme i.e UIP. The program consists of vaccination for nine diseases- tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, Hepatitis B, Diarrhea, Japanese Encephalitis and Pneumonia. Hepatitis B was added to the UIP in 2007. Thus, UIP has 9 vaccine preventable diseases in the program now.
The aim of National Health Mission, when introduced was to rapidly increase immunization coverage and slowly focus on monitoring and achieving self-sufficiency in vaccine production. This was further enhanced and achieved through Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme. A specific Immunization Strengthening Project (ISP) was also designed to run from 2000-2003, which included three main components (polio eradication, strengthening routine immunization, and strategic framework for development).
The goal as proposed by National Health Mission was to reduce morbidity and mortality through vaccine programs. So far the goals have been achieved and the efforts have brought India closer to the goal of polio eradication than ever before in history with only 42 confirmed cases in 2010 and only one in 2011.
Ensure a Disease Free Summer for your Children by following these Tips
Complete Vaccination Program for Mothers and Kids From ITSU
Recently the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has launched the Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) with the help and support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). It happened after a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) which was approved and signed by the MoHFW and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The aim of the ITSU (Immunization Technical Support Unit) as envisioned by the Indian Government when it announced in 2012 as the Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization, is to execute the target of absolute immunization of mothers and kids in the target age in each state of India. It will be achieved with the supply of vaccines in each and every district and state in India.
ITSU launched by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is also accountable to coordinate with the other partners to disperse more awareness among the people. It also works towards contouring the complete vaccine making and supply procedure. It is giving active support to the Multi-Year Strategic Plan for Immunization which was planned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). It works with the government and non-governmental companies as well as local and national civic bodies to create an extended system and road map for prompt supply of vaccines to the target demographic within the stipulated time frame in cost-efficient ways that don’t compromise on the standard of the vaccines.
ITSU from the Public Health Foundation of India has experts who work at the state level to apply booming communications, advocacy and management initiatives. Even special care is taken to ensure that the vaccination process reaches even the most remote places in each state of India. It engages in a driving process of learning from same initiatives internationally to create roads to work in the local context.
How To Store and Preserve Vaccines?
In order to store and monitor vaccines properly, the department of disease control and prevention always issues few tips or guidelines. The state vaccine for kids programs need that guidelines practice this message as a minimum. They can also choose to require strict criteria for their programs. These guidelines are made to keep vaccines safely. Even in vaccine logistics and supply chain, they are not supposed to open to temperatures at which they may lose their impact and effects.
Vaccines need to be preserved even during vaccine logistics and supply chain. If you notice the manufacturers of the vaccines, they also give proper guidelines to store the vaccines. The manufacturers provide the product related content that includes at what temperature the vaccines should be kept, if needed then how to use a diluent to reconstitute a vaccine and when to drop the vaccines.
The disease control and prevention vaccine storage and handling toolkit’s centers offer ideas that are good for workplaces, but offer as minimum requirements for vaccine for kids providers. The basic points are
1) Exercising a temperature buffered probe rather than counting ambient air temperatures.
2) Practicing a digital data logger with a detachable probe that continuously records and stores temperature information at regular programmable intervals.
3) Having a stand-alone refrigerator and stand-alone freezer units good for vaccine storage rather than combination (refrigerator + freezer) or other units not made for storing vaccines.
4) Stop using dorm-style or bar-style refrigerator/freezers for vaccines’ storage, even temporary.
5) Timely review of expiration dates of vaccines and changing of vaccine stock.
Don’t let your vaccines open to temperatures at which they may lose their potency in the times of vaccine logistics and supply chain. In the immunization training book, you will also find the tips for storing the vaccines that include
1) the refrigerator temperature should be measured between 2°C and 8°C.
2) The freezer temperature should be measured -15°C or lower.
3) Vaccines which are prepared to be stored in the refrigerator should never be frozen.
4) The refrigerator and freezer’s temperatures should be checked at least twice each day. The maximum and minimum temperatures reached each day should also be checked on the temperature log.
Major Initiatives Under National Health Mission
Launched in 2005 by the government of India, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) deals with the health needs of underprivileged and under-served rural areas. Firstly, it was projected with addressing the health requirements of 18 states that had been known as having poor public health signals. Later Union Cabinet vide its decision dated May 1, 2013 has accepted the launch of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a Sub-mission of an over-arching National Health Mission (NHM), with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) being the other Sub-mission of National Health Mission. Following are the few initiatives under National Health Mission (NHM).
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been involved under the objective for creating a link between the community and the health system. ASHA, initiated by National Health Mission (NHM), is the first port of call for any health related needs of underprivileged sections of the population, especially women and children.
Rogi Kalyan Samiti (Patient Welfare Committee)
Initiated by National Health Mission, the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (Patient Welfare Committee) is a group of trustees for the hospitals to handle the affairs of the hospital. These committees are being financed through unbound fund to attempt activities for patient welfare.
Health Care Contractors
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has given health care contractors to under-served places, and has been engaged in educating and grooming to prosper the skill set of doctors at strategically located facilities identified by the states. Likewise, due importance is provided to capacity building of nursing staff and subsidiary workers such as ANMs.
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was made by National Health Mission to lessen maternal mortality among pregnant women by promoting them to offer in government health facilities. Under the scheme cash assistance is offered to eligible pregnant women for providing birth in a government health facility.
ITSU 