POST 01206E : VACCINE STOCK MANAGEMENT

POST 01206E : VACCINE STOCK MANAGEMENT Follow-up on Posts 01114E, 01127E, 01138E, 01164E, 01178E, 01186E, 01191E, and 01195E 22 December 2007 _____________________________________ [log in to unmask]">Ranjit Dhiman from WHO/WPRO replies to James Cheyne on vaccine needs calculation _____________________________________ Dear James, The method proposed is a logical and simple way to address procurement. Your suggestion of considering last year supply + % increase with increase in population may need a little adjustment pertaining to % increment in coverage rate. But however, there are still grey areas that needed attention. We know that actual coverage is not in ratio of estimates. What happens to those extra lot of vaccine that goes unused? This should get accumulated over period as supply is always higher then consumption (unless the supply is not in ratio of estimates, or coverage is more than 100% as estimated. First case is avoidable, second case, though good news but rarely happen). For ages, the calculation has always been traditional way (based on target population...). For ages, there has been always consumption of vaccine and at the end of the year there is some stock left in reserve. If I recall correctly, the procurement adjustments are made based on stock in hand from last year. How does this adjustment tally with the above said "accumulation", I have no clue. Perhaps a graph showing the net vaccine supplied to a country for past few years should explain the increment in supply and relationship with coverage rate and population growth. However... The intention of traditional method focus on following: 1) To ensure that we are never short of vaccine. 2) Parallel efforts are always on to ensure that the coverage is better every year. Given this, 1) above is important. Vaccine procurement estimate is one part, the area that need serious attention is vaccine management. Some breakthrough is required at lower levels (PHC) and even districts to manage it more efficiently. At the end of the day, if coverage increases and outbreaks and number of cases reduce, this is a grand achievement. Till then, sacrifice of extra dose of vaccine in any form is unavoidable, or rather say, less relevant. Ranjit Dhiman WPRO, WHO ______________________________________________________________________________ All members of the TechNet21 e-Forum are invited to send comments on any posting or to use the forum to raise a new discussion or request technical information in relation to immunization services. The comments made in this forum are the sole responsibility of the writers and do not in any way mean that they are endorsed by any of the organizations and agencies to which the authors may belong. ______________________________________________________________________________ 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 : [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] 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 (www.ccisd.org ___________________________________________________________