The PNG Western Provincial Health Authority (WPHA) is introducing a digital reporting platform to strengthen the monitoring of its upcoming province-wide Catch-up Routine Immunisation Campaign, which will be carried out across August and September with backing from PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) and World Vision PNG.
Health workers and data teams are now preparing to use electronic reporting tools that will allow vaccination records to be captured in real time while also helping authorities identify why immunisation rates remain low in parts of the province.
A two-day Training of Trainers workshop ended yesterday in Daru, where South Fly District team leaders received practical training on the Digital Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) and the Kobo Collect application.
The newly introduced platforms will be used to monitor vaccination progress and conduct field surveys aimed at understanding barriers affecting routine immunisation coverage.
Following the Daru workshop, trained officers will return to their health facilities to train frontline staff throughout South Fly District. Similar training will then be delivered in North Fly and Middle Fly districts in Kiunga on August 10 and 11.
To support the rollout, PNGSDP has provided 86 Android tablets for vaccination teams operating across Western Province. Each device will be assigned to a dedicated data officer, allowing healthcare workers to concentrate on administering vaccines while information is entered separately.
The electronic reporting system is expected to improve the quality and accuracy of vaccination records, giving WPHA's Monitoring and Evaluation teams timely access to campaign data.
Although the campaign is primarily focused on children under the age of one, WPHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Miriam Boga said older children would also be included because of the emergence of a measles outbreak in New Ireland Province.
"We have also made an exception to include older children as the country now reports a new measles outbreak in the New Ireland Province," Dr. Boga said.
Executive Manager for North Fly District Health Services Galeva Sere officially closed the Daru workshop and thanked development partners for providing technical assistance in designing the reporting system that will be used throughout the campaign.
The Catch-up Routine Immunisation Campaign will take place in North Fly and Middle Fly districts from August 17 to 28, followed by South Fly and Delta Fly from September 7 to 18.
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