POST 00697E : LOGISTICS TRAINING

POST 00697E : LOGISTICS TRAINING Follow-up on Post 00689E 15 July 2004 _______________________________ This discussion started on the topic "From HFC/CFC to HC-based Refrigeration". It progressed by moving towards logistics training which was essentially the topic of the previous contribution by Modibo Dicko (Post 00689E). Consequently we are now changing the theme of this discussion that will likely generate many further contributions. In this posting Robert Steinglass (mailto:[email protected]) from the United States contributes. _______________________________ As always, Modibo makes a strong plea. I hope there will be many responses to Modibo's contribution. But I believe that the main implementing partners - WHO and UNICEF - should be officially stating these same points loudly and clearly to educate prospective partners and mobilize resources for improved logistics. Instead, prospective partners have been told for the past decade that investments in accelerated disease control initiatives will take care of the strengthening of the routine immunization programs. Partners have not been told that the routine programs also need DIRECT investment in their own right, not mediated through other initiatives. The simple cold chain and logistics needs of polio eradication - including a fast chain two or three times per year - do not satisfy the needs of a routine program that have the more complex task of offering all vaccines to susceptible children every day/week of the year. And staff have been untrained in logistics for far too long despite the huge investments in disease control. The routine program needs more than the contribution of the occasional piece of hardware leftover after the campaigns. It also needs "software," e.g. training on logistics. And probably like other readers, I have seen refrigerators and generators donated with polio funds for which diesel fuel is only provided for the NIDs themselves, lying unused the rest of the year. Or non-robust vaccine carriers that do not survive beyond a few NID rounds. These days the vast amount of immunization resources are being mobilized and spent on accelerated disease control (and not on some of the real operational platforms/functions of routine programs, such as logistics). Furthermore, given that these disease control initiatives misleadingly overstate the case that campaigns are strengthening routine immunization, then certainly we should be holding these disease control initiatives to a higher standard of proof. Therefore, as part of the accelerated disease control initiatives, indicators for routine immunization performance - e.g., including DTP3 coverage, safe injection, sharps waste management, improved logistics, etc. - should be formally adopted, tracked and routinely reported by the accelerated disease control initiatives themselves (including whenever reviews and meetings on accelerated disease control occur). Modibo has done a service by alerting us to the fact that logistics is not receiving sufficient investment. But we need also to ask why not. I think that we should hold the accelerated disease initiatives to a higher standard and raise our expectations - and those of global and country partners - about the contributions that are truly required from accelerated disease control intiatives for routine programs to be strengthened. I, for one, would also be curious to learn whether GAVI-approved countries receiving Vaccine Funds under the ISS (immunization services support) are investing on implementing logistics training and upgrading skills (as opposed, for example, to simply purchasing cold chain equipment). Robert ______________________________________________________________________________ Visit the TECHNET21 Website at http://www.technet21.org You will find instructions to subscribe, a direct access to archives, links to reference documents and other features. ______________________________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message to : mailto:[email protected] Leave the subject area BLANK In the message body, write unsubscribe TECHNET21E ______________________________________________________________________________ The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. It is moderated by Claude Letarte and is hosted in cooperation with the Centre de coopération internationale en santé et développement, Québec, Canada (http://www.ccisd.org) ______________________________________________________________________________