Z-TRACE: Sultan Foundation trains RI service providers on data management
Z-TRACE: Sultan Foundation trains RI service providers on data management
By SADIQ MARTINS, GUSAU
The Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development says quality data, accurate record as well as effective reporting remain key to tackling Zero-dose and under-immunized children in Zamfara.
The foundation’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Lead, Abdulrahman Liman, stated this in Gusau on Friday, during the ongoing a one-day onboarding of
Routine Immunisation (RI) service providers drawn from the seven Zero-dose most affected local government areas in the state.
Data quality management (DQM) is a practice of measuring, monitoring, cleansing information to ensure its accuracy, completeness, consistent, and fit for its intended use.
Liman, however, noted that data accuracy in terms of numbers and locations of the Zero-dose or under-immunized children remained key tools that would guide the RI service providers in planning and reaching out to the affected kids.
He said the participants needed adequate as well as necessary skills to achieve the project’s objectives, particularly in ensuring all zero-dose children were immunized.
The M&E lead urged the RI service providers to cooperate with the mobilisation officers already in the field to ensure that the Foundation’s targeted 30 per cent or 80,772 reduction of the 269, 421 Zero-dose children was achieved.
Speaking at the event, the Programme Manager of the Sultan Foundation in Zamfara, Jamilu SarkinGulbi, emphasised the role of routine immunisation service providers in addressing the challenges of zero-dose and under-immunised children.
He said the success of the Z-TRACE project depended largely on the commitment and active participation of frontline health workers responsible for delivering immunisation services and reaching children in their respective communities.
SarkinGulbi urged the participants to apply the knowledge and skills to improve service delivery, strengthen community engagement and ensure that eligible children were not left behind in routine immunisation programmes.
He emphasized the need for commitment in effective data management and transfer standards to achieving measurable goals of exercise.
The official stressed the need for effective collaboration among health workers, community leaders and other relevant stakeholders to identify children who missed their vaccinations and encourage parents and caregivers to utilise available immunisation services.
The Z-TRACE project is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen routine immunisation and reduce the number of zero-dose and under-immunised children in Zamfara through improved service delivery and community-level interventions.
The initiative is expected to support efforts toward increasing vaccination coverage, prevent vaccine-preventable diseases and improve child health outcomes across the state.
The project, funded by GAVI CSO Fund manager mechanism is aimed at improving routine immunisation coverage by identifying and reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children, especially those in hard to reach communities.
Participants in the third batch of the RI onboarding were drawn from BaKura and Talata Mafara local government areas of the state
The 60 RI were trained on data accuracy, record keeping and SMS data transfer to Z-TRACE dashboard. END
