WHO UGANDA NEWS BULLETIN Volume 5 Issue 5: 24th February 2017

IMMUNIZATION AND CHILD HEALTH EXPERTS MEET TO REVITALIZE HOME-BASED HEALTH

RECORDS

The Representative of the Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Dr Bernard Opar (middle black suit) and the
Acting WHO Representative Dr Tarande Manzila (grey suit) together with Immunization and Child Health
Experts at the opening of the meeting .

I mmunization and Child health experts are

meeting in Kampala, Uganda to help revitalize
Home-based records in selected African countries
It is that concern that has brought together
immunization and child health experts from
Ethiopia, Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda and
with high numbers of unimmunized children. Home- Rwanda as one of the best performers of using home
based records capture an individuals vaccination based records and partners from UNICEF, CLARO,
status in a simple way and assist health workers to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and WHO to
identify poor performing families and community for contribute to the improvement of home-based
improved coverage with the necessary services. records. The four day workshop also provides an
opportunity to participants to put into action
Home-based vaccination records play an important principles outlines in the WHO guidance on home-
role in documenting immunization services received based records.
by individuals. However, current evidence suggests
that these tools are too often underutilized, they vary The Acting WHO Representative to Uganda Dr
in complexity across and sometimes within countries, Tarande Manzila noted that deliberations of this
and lack standardization in content, noted the important workshop will allow countries to adopt
Minister of state for Primary Health Care Dr Joyce the 2015 home-based record guidance manual in
Kaducu in a speech read by Dr Bernard Opar the order to improve utilization and retention of the
Program Manager of Ugandas Immunization home-based records in respective countries. This, he
Programme at the opening ceremony. added, will contribute to improving vaccination
coverage nationwide and enable countries to control
Unfortunately, as Dr Joyce Kaducu pointed out, the vaccine preventable diseases and to achieve
home-based vaccination record is too often elimination or eradication targets.
underutilized or inappropriately used by parents
and health care workers and therefore does not In an earlier presentation Dr Blanche Anya from
always fulfil its intended purpose. WHOs Regional Office for Africa reported that from1
Visit our website www.whouganda.org and follow us on World Health Organization, Uganda @WHOUganda
WHO UGANDA NEWS BULLETIN Volume 5 Issue 5: 24th February 2017

IMMUNIZATION AND CHILD HEALTH EXPERTS MEET TO REVITALIZE HOME-BASED

HEALTH RECORDS

2000 to 2014 out of the 47 countries in WHOs
African Region only 14 had a home-based record
retention rate of more than 80% and only four had a
rate of more than 90%. Eleven (11) countries had a
retention rate of less than 50% while five countries
had a rate of less than 30%.
Melinda Gates Foundation one of the sponsors of the
meeting. Mr Nasir Yusuf from UNICEF Eastern
and Southern African Regional Office hoped that
the workshop will produce a user-friendly tool and
address issues of availability, sustainability and use
of the home-based tool.

In reference to that situation Dr Manzila noted thatTo meet those expectations experts meeting in
by better understanding and then addressing the Kampala will have to address challenges including
needs of the different home-based record users, the shortages or Stock-outs of child health cards at
records can be improved, increasing their utilization
health facilities, illegible or improperly completed
and adoption. Indeed in 2015, WHO developed a records, loss and damage of the records and lack of
guidance document on home-based records intended importance placed on these documents by healthcare
to provide direction on how to improve the use and workers and caregivers. With those challenges
design of home based records. addressed, it is hoped home-based vaccination
records will provide an inexpensive and effective tool
I hope we are going to come out with a nice for promoting childhood immunization and other
approach and go home with a new way of thinking health services.
on the use and adoption of home-based records said
Ms Lauren Kendall Krause from the Bill and

(L-R) Mr Nasir Yusuf (UNICEF), Dr Bernard A section of Immunization and Child Health
Opar (MoH), Dr Tarande Manzila (WHO) and Experts attending the meeting
Ms Lauren Kendall Krause (Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation) at the opening ceremony

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