As part of the European Union (EU)-funded COVID-19 Vaccination Support project, experts from WHO Regional Office for Europe, in collaboration with UNICEF, have conducted a five-day mission in Azerbaijan to evaluate the country’s Immunization Information System (IIS).
According to the WHO’s country office, during the mission, the WHO experts carried out an assessment of the management of the IIS, including recording and reporting, digital tools, medical staff capacity, service delivery procedures, vaccine logistics management, and monitoring methodologies. They met with the representatives from the Ministry of Health, the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (SAMHI), and TABIB to discuss the importance of the IIS for strengthening the healthcare system, improving vaccination coverage, and enhancing eHealth strategy. To define the needs of key informants on data and monitoring systems and the demands for immunization program management, the experts also visited Republican and regional Hygiene and Epidemiology Centers and health facilities in Baku, Guba. Meetings with international partners were held to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Improving data collection through digitalization for routine immunizations opens possibilities for better monitoring, coordination and evidence-based planning and decision-making. At the same time, modernizing the digital system on immunization helps to reduce administrative tasks, allowing health workers to devote more time to caring for their patients.
“Reliable information on the immunization program is essential to ensure that every child is vaccinated. The digitalization of the immunization information systems can help providing more timely and accurate data to health workers and decision makers. We appreciate national authorities and health workers in Azerbaijan for the intense and productive week of working together to identify areas of improvement for the immunization information systems and devise the way forward for effective digitalization”, said Roberta Pastore, WHO mission team lead.
Following the assessment, the mission group will develop a roadmap on digitalization of the routine immunization information system, which will serve to strengthen the immunization program in the country and help to translate data into action.
The EU-funded COVID-19 Vaccination Support project, implemented by World Health Organization since June 2021, covers a three-year fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthens daily immunization programs in six Eastern Partnership countries, including Azerbaijan. The project is part of the continued support of the European Union and WHO to Azerbaijan.
Source: AZERTAC