TRANSFORMATIVE INVESTMENT: Invest in shared responsibility for immunization delivery between Communities and Immunization Program to reach uniformly high coverage through high demand and quality

FOCUS OF THE COUNTRY:

The Gambia has been achieving high national immunization coverage over the years the years. However, recent admin data show disparities in Penta 3 coverage between rural and urban areas, with coverage in the latter being lower. As a result, the national EPI’s main concern is to bridge this gap.

STRATEGIES:

Educate the community through health talks, posters and mobilization drivers.
Develop immunization information for use in schools and training colleges.
Include communication and advocacy in immunization planning at all levels.
Use celebrity appeal and community leaders to promote immunization.
Improve interpersonal communication skills of communication mobilizers.
Enable health workers to communicate on vaccination benefits and positively address vaccine and vaccination concerns.
Educate health on the appropriate handling, reporting and communication of AEFIs.

THREE PRIORITY STRATEGIES:

Include communication and advocacy in immunization planning at all levels.
Improve interpersonal communication skills of communication mobilizers.
Enable health workers to communicate on vaccination benefits and positively address vaccine and vaccination concerns.

RATIONALE:

I believed community ownership is essential in ensuring utilization of immunization services. This could be best done by giving communities responsibilities to feel recognized and part of the whole process. Urban communities in the Gambia are more engaged in income generating economic activities which is assumed to be the reason why they might miss their children immunization. This approach will help in creating more immunization awareness in the country and thereby close the coverage disparity/gap.