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Category: Immunization

  • CIF Study Published in BMC Magazine, The Role of Supportive Supervision on Immunization Program Outcome- a randomized filed trial from Georgia

    The research article by CIF and international experts has been published in BMC International Health and Human Rights 2009. Article is a part of the supplement: The fallacy of coverage: uncovering disparities to improve immunization rates through evidence.The Canadian International Immunization Initiative Phase 2 (CIII2) Operational Research Grants.

    In the republic of Georgia, a country where widespread health care reforms have taken place over the last decade, an intervention was recently implemented to strengthen performance of immunization programs. A range of measures were taken to ensure that immunization managers carry out their activities effectively through direct, personal contact on a regular basis to guide, support and assist designated health care facility staff to become more competent in their immunization work. The study addresses the issues of human resources and its management in improving immunization coverage rates and aims to document the effects of “supportive” supervision on the performance of the immunization program at the district level in Georgia.

    Follow the link to learn more about methods and results of the survey.

    LATEST NEWS

  • Georgia Immunization MIS and Disease Surveillance Reforms: Achievements, Lessons Learned and Future Directions

    From 2001 to 2006, the government of Georgia and the Partners for Health Reformplus (PHRplus) project collaborated to strengthen two components of the Georgia Health Information System (HIS): the immunization management information system (MIS) and infectious disease surveillance system (IDS). The work was funded by USAID/Caucasus and coordinated by a multidisciplinary expert group of stakeholders. Participating expert group members came from the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, the Department of Public Health, the National Center for Disease Control and Medical Statistics, local Centers of Public Health (CPH), and several international donors (USAID, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization). Implementation was the responsibility of the Georgian nongovernmental organization Curatio International Foundation, subcontracted by PHRplus. View the document.

  • Strengthening Surveillance, IEC and Procurement Planning to Address Avian Influenza in Georgia

    In May 2006, the USAID/Caucasus Mission awarded PATH $400,000 to strengthen surveillance, information, education, communication (IEC) activities, and procurement planning to address avian influenza (AI) in Georgia. As specified in the proposal, PATH has established a partnership with a Georgian nongovernmental organization, Curatio International Foundation (CIF), to implement this activity. View the document.

  • Regional Workshop on Rotavirus and Diarrheal Disease

    On January 23-24, 2008 a Regional Workshop entitled “Rotavirus and Diarrheal Disease Control” was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. The workshop with 50 participants was sponsored by PATH and hosted by Curatio International Foundation.

    The workshop brought together representatives from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EE/CA) countries, WHO, UNICEF, GAVI experts with aim to share the current evidence, and determine the level of interest, main needs/key priorities and concerns of the stakeholders. Several countries in EE/CA struggle with high rates of diarrheal disease (DD) morbidity and mortality.
    among young children. The new interventions such as rotavirus vaccines, zinc treatment, and lowosmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS), complement existing approaches and contribute significantly to meaningful reductions in morbidity and mortality in many countries. Introduction of these new interventions is hampered by a lack of awareness and diminished prioritization for diarrheal disease. Participants from the following eight countries of EE/CA region attended the workshop: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.Participants included leaders, representatives of various sectors involved in child health care, infectious disease surveillance and control, and immunization, including: officials from the Ministries of Health, public health officials, academicians in the fields of pediatrics and infectious diseases, local pharmaceutical companies, experts from donor organizations.

    Konstantine (Koka) Pruidze, Deputy Minister, (MoLHSA Georgia) Dr. John Wecker (PATH), and Dr. Ketevan Chkhatarashvili (CIF). The key presentations on an integrated strategy of DD control, child morbidity/mortality situation in the region with focus on DD, the current evidences regarding new control interventions including rotavirus vaccines, the rotavirus surveillance findings in the region and updates in the GAVI application process were made by Dr. John Wecker (PATH), Dr. Sanjiv Kumar (UNICEF), Dr. Liudmila Mosina (WHO), Dr. Robin Biellik (PATH), Dr. Ivone Rizzo (GAVI Alliance).
    Representatives from each participating country presented information on the burden of DD in their countries, discussed existing control strategies and needs for their strengthening.

    Georgia in addition presented key messages of the National Strategic Plan developed by the experts group under the leadership of PATH and CIF. Priority areas, needs for improvement were identified during the workshop.

  • Solution to Diarrheal Control in the NIS Region

    The project was implemented in the period of October 2007- December 2008 in partnership with National Center for Disease Control and Medical Statistics (NCDC), Ministry of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs (MoLHSA), and Pediatric Division of Tbilisi State Medical University, and with the financial support of PATH. The project aimed at enhancing Diarrhea Disease (EDD) Control Initiative in Georgia and carrying out activities in support of countries in the EE/CA region to implement their national diarrheal disease control plans.

    Several countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EE/CA) struggle with high rates of diarrheal disease morbidity and mortality among young children.

    These new interventions, rotavirus vaccines, zinc treatment, and low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS), complement existing approaches such as oral rehydration therapy (ORT), exclusive breastfeeding, and improved sanitation and hygiene, and will contribute significantly to meaningful reductions in morbidity and mortality in many countries. Introduction of these new interventions is hampered by a lack of awareness and diminished prioritization for diarrheal disease control. To overcome this, PATH has created the Diarrhea Disease (EDD) Control Initiative. The goal of EDD is to reprioritize diarrheal disease control at the country-level and develop or revise national diarrheal disease control plans to ensure rapid up-take of new prevention and treatment interventions, and to reinforce the use of established interventions.

    With this aim, under the leadership of PATH/CIF, national working group in Georgia developed the Strategic Plan to improve the control of DD in Georgia with focus on children under-5 for 2008-2010. The plan was presented in Tbilisi, Georgia on January 23-24, 2008 at the EURO/Central Asia Regional workshop “Rotavirus and Diarrheal Disease Control,” held in the frame of the Project. The workshop brought together 50 representatives from EE/CA countries, WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI to share the current evidence, and determine the level of interest, needs, priorities, and concerns of the stakeholders. Participants from following eight countries of EE/CA region attended the workshop: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz republic, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Participants included leaders and representatives of various sectors involved in child health care, infectious disease surveillance and control, and immunization.

    Other activities carried out in the frame of the project:

    Develop the National Quality Assurance Manual on Diarrheal Diseases for laboratory system. The Manual covers the following diseases: Salmonellosis, Shigellosis, Escherichiosis, Campylobacteriosis, Cholera, Adenovirus, Non-Polio Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Norovirus infections, Hepatitis A, Amebiasis. The QAM is available on Georgian, English and Russian languages;
    Review and provide Recommendations on the National Breastfeeding Indicators;
    Inform local pharmaceutical manufacturers on the new treatment methods (new formulation ORS, zinc) by providing useful materials, assisting in contact building to facilitate appearance of new products at the local market;
    Incorporate the modern recommendations for Diarrheal Diseases control into the Family Medicine and Paediatrics Residency Program training curricula;
    Update the National Immunization Program financial management tool (cMYP) that enables to estimate and project costs of the Rotavirus vaccination introduction in the routine immunization calendar.

  • Armenia Visit Report

    CIF consultant, Ketevan Goguadze in April 1-7, 2007 traveled to Armenia. The major purpose of the visit was to provide technical support to the Armenian national working group in order to estimate the costs of the current immunization program; evaluate the financing of the current programme; project resource for the future requirements and financing levels and patterns over the cMYP time period; estimate financing gaps, prepare alternative scenarios of cMYP costing and financing components to reduce the funding gaps and identify the strategies for the improvement of financial sustainability.

  • Protocol of the Policy Club on the Public Health Organizational Development

    On February 23, 2007 the policy club has been organized within the framework of CoReform Project with the aim to discuss organizational arrangement of the Public Health at local level. It has brought together Deputy Ministers MOLHSA, representatives of Sector Policy Planning Department, Head of the Regulatory Department, Head of the Health Care Department, Director of the National Centre for Disease Control and Medical Statistics, Head of the Public Health Department, Head of the Juridical Department, State Minister Office of Reform Coordination, CoReform Project, Curatio International Foundation representatives, etc. CIF represented by Ivdity Chikovani had presented resources required for effective functioning of public health at the local level. This includes the following activities: immunization, supervision, surveillance and control, routine collection of statistical data and analysis, malaria control measures.

    See Georgian version of the presentation.

  • Georgia Health Information and Disease Surveillance Reform

    Georgia Health Information and Disease Surveillance Reform project was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Aid/ Caucasus (USAID) and was implemented in partnership with Partners for Health Reform Plus (PHRplus) Project and Curatio International Foundation. The objective of the project was to strengthen Immunization Management Information System (MIS) and Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) Surveillance. The project ran from January 2002 until September 2006.

    The project was designed and implemented in coordination with principal stakeholders from the Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) of Georgia. ICC members were invited from the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs (MoLHSA), the National Centre for Disease Control and Medical Statistics (NCDC), and international organizations, such as USAID and UN Agencies (UNICEF, WHO). The project aimed to provide assistance to the Government of Georgia to improve the Immunization Information System and the Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases to provide public health managers, providers of health services, and other stakeholders with appropriate information for making correct strategic, tactical, and operative decisions to keep the VPD epidemiological situation under control. The project also aimed to reduce the morbidity and mortality burden of these diseases on the population and to determine how to use the available vaccines and other programme resources more efficiently.

    Immunization MIS:

    The improved MIS model is based on an accurate census of the child population, performed by every health facility in its catchments area on an annual basis. The model enables the Health workers to more accurately determine target population, project vaccine needs, compute immunization coverage, and evaluate performance of individual facilities. The reformed MIS model also includes a number of innovations that allow better immunization program management and more rational use of resources at all levels. Countrywide implementation of the reformed MIS was supported by the Decree of the MoLHSA.

    The reform package included:

    Immunization MIS guidelines for health care providers and public health workers
    Job aids for public health and facility workers
    Software application “GEOVAC” for the district, regional and National levels. The application improves the process of data unification, enables to determine poorly performing administrative units, and identifies underlying reasons causing the deficiencies.

  • Effectiveness of Supportive Supervision in Improving the Performance of National Immunization Program in Georgia

    The project was funded by Cida/IDRC (Canadian International Development Centre; The International Development Research Centre) and implemented by Curatio International Foundation in collaboration with Toronto University. The duration of the project was July 2004 – March 2006.

    The study objective was to document the effects of “supportive supervision” on the performance of the immunization program at the district level in Georgia.

    The intervention package included: development of supervisory guidelines, district-level training, continuous supervision and support, monitoring and evaluation, and funding for Centers of Public Health to carry out the package of interventions (travel and communication costs). Supportive supervision, which was the focal point of the package of interventions, was based on introducing updated job descriptions with documented lines of supervision; improving communication lines and skills; introducing guidelines and tools for supervision, performance review and monitoring, and evidence-based action planning, all of which help health workers to improve immunization service delivery.

    The effectiveness of the intervention package was assessed with a pre/post-experimental research design. The package of interventions was uniformly implemented in 15 districts selected randomly out of the nation’s 67 districts. Another 15 districts were selected to serve as controls. Measurements were assessed at the baseline and end of the one-year intervention. Quantitative, qualitative and postal surveys were used to collect the information and derive conclusions. Study revealed that significant improvements in the performance of immunization program occurred after implementation of the intervention. In contrast to control districts, intervention districts experienced a significant increase in DPT-3 coverage, decrease in contraindications rate, decrease in refusals rate, and decrease in vaccine wastage between baseline and follow-up stages. The intervention did not appear to have independently contributed to the relative change in service delivery outcome indicators.

  • Community Investment Program – West

    The Community Investment Program – West was funded by BP/CARE Int. and implemented in partnership with CARE Int., ICCN, TAG, Constanta, and Curatio International Foundation (CIF) in the period of March 2003- December 2005. In the frame of this project, CIF was responsible for conducting the trainings of PHC staff available in village ambulatories (Doctors and nurses) on different health issues, including Antenatal Care, Immunization, Chronic diseases prevention, Geriatric disorders, etc. CIF conducted trainings for community members on First Aid and psycho-social care of the elderly. In addition to conducting trainings, CIF also designed and implemented the Psycho-social network for the elderly and community based health financing schemes. CIF developed and implemented the education, communication, and information campaign for communities on prevention measures of Chronic diseases, as well as STD/HIV/AIDS and alcohol and drug addiction. The informational materials have been printed and were distributed in the communities.