POST 00543E : JOINT REPORTING FORM ON VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES

Follow-up on Posts 00538E and 00542E

27 January 2003
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Both Robert Steinglass (mailto:[log in to unmask]) and Alasdair Wylie
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) comment on the selected indicator for
the Joint Reporting Form. Even past the tight deadline such comments will
surely prove useful.
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I think the latest version of the indicator is better than the earlier one.
However, I suggest the addition of two elements to the proposed indicator:

1) After ...and age) : "at national, provincial, and district levels"
2) At the end "and also a quarterly reporting system at district level
indicating working status.".

So the indicator would now read :

"Was there an updated* (2002) inventory (models, location, and age) at
national, provincial, and district levels of all refrigeration equipment
assigned for public immunization services in the country, and also a
quarterly reporting system at district level indicating working status?"

I think the above indicator would better reflect the MANAGEMENT changes
which need to be introduced at various levels to permit an accurate
maintenance and replacement plan to be developed, not just once but also
for the future. I think that the indicator proposed above would be useful
at district and lower levels to improve the functioning of the cold chain
on a more dynamic and frequent basis.

There is no point having an inventory for the sole purpose of having an
inventory. Thus the indicator should inform about working status and thus
encourage development of a system capable of generating valid maintenance
and replacement plans whenever required.

It will be great to hear from others in the field.

Robert
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New Year greetings.

Deadlines are important (and I am often guilty of not meeting them) but I
think that on this occasion giving less than a week was a bit extreme...

The new proposal is a definite improvement and much more appropriate,
however I think it needs two important modifications to be useful:
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(latest one shown here for ease of reference) :


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1. It must show the working status of equipment, not only for repair
planning and tracking but also because for administrative reasons most
countries have to keep equipment which is both out of order and beyond
economic repair on inventory until officially disposed of according to
government rules - which can and does often take ages.

I have just returned from a Central Asian Republic with just this
situation. This could be addressed by having the essential inventory
information read "(models, location, age and working status)"

2. In accordance with the programme management approach advocated by both
WHO and GAVI, it should contain district-wise information; suggest insert
"district-wise" before "inventory". (Recognized that in very large
countries it will not be practicable or necessary to have district wise
inventory information at national level, but they should of course do so at
province/state level).

If the answer to this question is "No", the Comments section on the form
needs to be used to give information/detail.

This could be a good opportunity for WHO to involve the Technet membership
in a further discussion about other appropriate cold chain/logistic
indicators (one is clearly not enough for national/subnational management
purposes even if it has to be kept to one for JRF purposes), an issue which
I recall was raised in 2002 in relation to the work of the Monitoring and
Evaluation subgroup of the GAVI Implementation Task Force. The M and E
group (and GAVI more generally) should be using Technet and its unique
human resources, especially from and at national level, for just this sort
of thing.

Best regards

Alasdair Wylie
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