MoU signed to boost immunisation in Karachi’s high-risk UCs

Conceding that the rates of inoculation in Karachi are far lower than in Sindh’s rural districts, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh officials on Thursday signed an MoU with the Aga Khan University (AKU) to reach zero-dose children in eight union councils of the city.

The agreement entails integrating local private healthcare providers at neighbourhood level to plug the gap in the government’s immunisation infrastructure and develop sustainable community networks for increasing immunisation coverage.

The project targets hotspots of immunisation refusals in eight union councils of Karachi to increase zero-dose vaccination provided at birth as well as Penta 3 vaccination in children under six months, which is a marker of complete vaccination in children under six months.

Through the project, immunisation services and basic preventive care will be offered at 18 EPI centres set up within neighbourhood private provider clinics, NGO clinics and maternity homes.

Community members in the districts where the project is to be implemented report that private clinics located in the local neighbourhood are the mainstay for their daily illnesses but do not offer immunisation services, and while polio teams go from door to door to administer oral vaccine, the same facility is not available for other childhood vaccines, for which families must visit government hospitals located at a considerable distance.

According to the AKU’s senior lead for the project, Prof Shehla Zaidi, the AKU with the EPI Sindh and other government stakeholders will co-design novel action learning strategies for co-opting private providers for quality-assured services, including pay for performance, quality accreditation scores and positive behaviour recognition, supported digital communication and community networks.

“The project will build sustainable links with the Sindh Health Department’s Action Plan for Strengthening Public Private Partnerships 2021-26, and regulatory frameworks towards urban primary health centres.”

Elaborating on the unique challenges of immunisation delivery in megacities, Dr Irshad Memon, head of the EPI in Sindh, asserted that immunisation rates in Karachi are far lower than in the province’s rural districts.

“So far we have struggled to put in place a system to ensure that private providers reportimmunisation volumes, provide free services and deliver quality-assured services,” he said. “Hence this project fills a key need for technical assistance for effective private engagement for the urban poor. We need sustainable health systems — we don’t want to see super high-risk union councils in five years,” he added. The project is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.