Abuja 16th September, 2014 - The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in conjunction with partners, including World Health Organization, Nigeria have  developed a 3-year National Routine Immunization Strategic Plan 2013-2015. One of the objectives of the strategic plan is to strengthen EPI related capacity of the country’s frontline health workers.

WHO, Nigeria took the initiative and worked with experienced health workers in public and private health facilities who could ably demonstrate how to correctly administer vaccines. Consent from mothers to appear in the documentary was sought. The documentary also passed through a rigorous revision process by government, WHO and partners.

The objective for the production of the audio-visual documentary is to build the capacity of frontline health workers who administer routine as well as other injections in line with WHO’s mandate of providing technical support for capacity building. Hence, the organization produced 40,000 copies of audio-visual documentary. The audio visual tool clearly demonstrates the vaccine administration of all routine immunization antigens in Nigeria which include: BCG, OPV, Pentavalent, Hepatitis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Rota vaccine, Yellow Fever and Measles.

Handing over 40,000 copies of the RI Training DVD to the Executive Director (ED) of the NPHCDA the DVDs at a ceremony held in Abuja recently, the WHO Nigeria Country Representative (WR), Dr. Rui Gama Vaz noted that “training of frontline health workers is a critical issue, therefore, WHO has taken the lead to produce a tool that can be used to build the capacity of all health workers to ensure safe and effective administration of vaccines and other injections”

He explained that the priority objective for the development and reproduction of the training tool was to enhance capacity in skills and knowledge of health workers for optimal protection conferred on vaccine recipients and avoid programmatic adverse events following immunization.

Dr. Vaz pointed out that the production of the DVD was timely, taking into account, the new vaccines to be introduced such as the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Rotavirus vaccine.

Receiving the training tool, the ED of NPHCDA, Dr. Ado J.G. Muhammad expressed appreciation to WHO for the technical and financial support in the development and production of the training tool which will improve quality of vaccine administration.  He also thanked the WR for the continued support the agency has been receiving from WHO on other health related issues.

The ED assured Dr. Vaz that the tool will not only be used by frontline workers but also as a reference material for vaccine administration at all levels.

The ceremony was witnessed by development partners including UNICEF, USAID, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and the event was well covered by various Media outfits.

01 Dr. Rui Gama Vaz handing over the training DVDs to Dr. Ado Mohammed.jpg
02 Dr. Pascal Mkanda and partners watch the handing over ceremony