Vaccine stock management in primary health care facilities in OR Tambo District, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Iwu, Chinwe Juliana; Ngcobo, Ntombenhle; McCaul, Michael; Mangqalaza, Hlokoma; Magwaca, Abongile; Chikte, Usuf

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.04.019

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…4,6 Most of those deaths occur in developing countries, especially in Africa. 7 In Ethiopia, about 470,000 children die per year; here, a child is 30 times more likely to die by his or her fifth birthday than a child found in Western Europe. 8 Over 85% of child mortality is attributable to the newborn period resulting from pneumonia, and diarrhea which is vaccinepreventable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Cold Chain Maintenance and Vaccine Stock Management Practices at Public Health Centers Providing Child Immunization Services in Jimma Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: Multi-Centered, Mixed Method Approach

Feyisa¹

2021

PHMT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Cold chain maintenance is the spine of an immunization program. Objective: To examine the status of cold chain maintenance and evaluate knowledge of cold chain handlers and practices of vaccine management at public health centers providing immunization services in Jimma zone. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study supplemented with a qualitative method was conducted in 41 randomly selected health centers providing immunization service in districts of Jimma zone from October 31 to November 30, 2019. Pre-tested selfadministered questionnaires and observation checklists developed from an effective vaccine management assessment tool (EVMAT) were used to collect quantitative data. Key informants were selected using the purposive sampling technique and an in-depth interview was conducted. Quantifiable data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and chi-square was used to test the presence of association (p-value <0.05). Qualitative data were analyzed by thematic analysis and triangulated with quantitative findings. Results: All public health centers had at least functional ice-lined refrigerators while 28 (68.3%) public health centers had functional deep freezers. Of the cold chain handlers, 120 (82.9%) had fair knowledge. Vaccine storage was appropriate per the World Health Organization's vaccine storage code in ice-lined refrigerators in 11 (24.4%) public health centers. Cold chain handlers' years of service, types of training, availability of funds for cold chain maintenance, and availability of cold chain equipment at public health centers showed the presence of significant association with vaccine cold chain management practice. Conclusion:The majority of cold chain handlers showed inadequate knowledge while a significant number showed poor practice of preserving the vaccines' cold chain. Cold chain maintenance was not adequate in public health centers, necessitating attentive efforts of providing proper management of vaccine cold chains at immunization delivery points.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Cold Chain Maintenance and Vaccine Stock Management Practices at Public Health Centers Providing Child Immunization Services in Jimma Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: Multi-Centered, Mixed Method Approach

Feyisa¹

2021

PHMT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This routine survey revealed that stock-out rates could vary significantly between regions in a country, which is an important finding for health managers and policymakers. In 2019, a study in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa showed that 77% of facilities had a stock-out of at least one vaccine, 20 which is higher than the figures reported by the SSP while a similar study conducted in 2013 in Gauteng province in South Africa reported a 29% stock-out rate. 13 Furthermore, almost all the vaccines in the immunization schedule have been affected by stock-outs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Furthermore, it has been reported that vaccine stock-outs occur regardless of whether a health facility has a pharmacist or pharmacist’s assistants, implying that other factors could be at play. 20 With these high rates of stock-outs, the department of health’s emphasis on “Every day is an Immunisation Day” 8 may not be achieved as some patients may be turned away due to lack of vaccines at the health facilities. Therefore, reports of vaccine stock-outs must be taken seriously, no matter how short the duration may be.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other factors that are associated with vaccine stock-outs in health facilities in South Africa include challenges at higher levels, such as delays in stock delivery from the pharmaceutical depot, coupled with poor communication between the depot and the facilities. 13 , 20 Such delays could be due to the geographic location of health facilities. For example, a study in Mozambique showed that facilities farther away from the supply depot might experience more stock-outs than those closer to the depots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a study in Mozambique showed that facilities farther away from the supply depot might experience more stock-outs than those closer to the depots. 26 The geographic location may also influence the health workers employed at the facilities; health workers are generally more motivated to work in urban rather than rural areas 20 Additionally, human resource factors, such as staff shortages and lack of skilled personnel, 21 could lead to vaccine stock-outs. Furthermore, electronic tools that may have been introduced too fast may have left behind the understanding or acceptance by health workers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Improving the availability of vaccines in primary healthcare facilities in South Africa: is the time right for a system redesign process?

Iwu

Jordan

Ngcobo³

et al. 2022

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An uninterrupted supply of vaccines at different supply chain levels is a basic component of a functional immunization programme and care service. There can be no progress toward achieving universal health coverage and sustainable development without continuous availability of essential medicines and vaccines in healthcare facilities. Shortages of vaccines, particularly at health facility level is an issue of grave concern that requires urgent attention in South Africa. The causes of vaccine stock-outs are multifactorial and may be linked to a broader systems issue. These factors include challenges at higher levels such as delays in the delivery of stock from the pharmaceutical depot; health facility level factors, which include a lack of commitment from healthcare workers and managers; human resource factors, such as, staff shortages, and lack of skilled personnel. Therefore, there is a compelling need to address the factors associated with shortages of vaccines in health facilities. This paper highlights the challenges of vaccine availability in South Africa, the associated factors, the available interventions, and recommended interventions for the expanded programme on immunization in South Africa. We propose a system redesign approach as a potentially useful intervention.

show abstract

Titration and dose calculation of vaccine stock

Mehta,

Sevda,

Kumar

2024

Bioreactor Design Concepts for Viral Vaccine Production

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vaccine stock management in primary health care facilities in OR Tambo District, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Cold Chain Maintenance and Vaccine Stock Management Practices at Public Health Centers Providing Child Immunization Services in Jimma Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: Multi-Centered, Mixed Method Approach

Cold Chain Maintenance and Vaccine Stock Management Practices at Public Health Centers Providing Child Immunization Services in Jimma Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: Multi-Centered, Mixed Method Approach

Improving the availability of vaccines in primary healthcare facilities in South Africa: is the time right for a system redesign process?

Titration and dose calculation of vaccine stock

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About