KARACHI:Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho on Friday was present as chief guest at an IRD conference meeting at the EPI office for the dissemination of results from an initiative working with pregnant women and newborns across Sindh, Pakistan, with crucial biodata and insights collected through the Government’s Zindagi Mehfooz Electronic Medical Registry.

Outputs of the research and field work, conducted by Interactive Research and Development (IRD) across super high-risk union councils (SHRUCs), with the support from the Provincial Government, were shared with the various stakeholders present. In attendance at the meeting were representatives from the Sindh Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the Provincial Health Department, media and other public health organizations.

The project covered 15 birthing facilities across eight SHRUCs in Sindh, aiming for the following objectives: to provide all pregnant women and newborns visiting the facilities with an EPI digital identity and link to vaccinators, to achieve universal immunization coverage for birth dose of polio vaccination, along with other routine immunizations, and to ensure health equity in the SHRUCs by improving health outcomes for pregnant women and newborns.

The project has been successful in increasing ante-natal care visits through SMS reminders, increasing vaccination coverage among pregnant women, registering newborns into the health system and national database, improving timeliness of BCG vaccinations and ensuring higher coverage and timeliness of OPV0 vaccination.

Addressing the meeting, Dr. Azra Pechuho said, “The most integral part of any project is its sustainability and that needs to be a focus throughout the data collection and implementation of the birth registry. Birth registration must be made compulsory in both public and private health institutes.’

She also stated that ‘In order for such a registry to be effective data collection, access and distribution should be available at a federal level and for there to be legislation that pushes this mandate through.’ She believed that NADRA could be utilized in ensuring the safe data collection and distribution of birth registrations.

The reason birth registrations must be made a reality for every Pakistani individual is because it will aid in immunizations as well and that vaccines for every newborn will enable a healthy community and healthy nation overall, Dr. Azra Pechuho said.

Minister for Health, Sindh, also said that ‘not only will birth registration ensure vaccinations and immunizations for all newborns but it will also register the reasons for people refusing to vaccinate their children and also provide ease in follow up vaccinations for newborns.’

‘It is through powerful, evidence-based strategies, leveraging technology and data, that we can help increase the uptake for routine childhood immunization services and timeliness in hard to access, low-income settings. It is the best investment we can make for our future generations.”

Speaking about the project, MCH REP, DESIGNATION of the IRD Maternal and Child Health Program, said, “Parents play a vital role in making decisions about immunization of children. The project has aided parents in making choices to improve coverage and equity, across the super high-risk union councils of Sindh and bring them at par with the rest of the Province and Country. It is steps like these that bring us closer to achieving the global Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) of leaving no child behind.”

Since the 2017 scale-up of the Government of Sindh’s Electronic Immunization Registry (SEIR; aka ZM-EIR), 100% of the EPI estimated annual live birth cohort is enrolled on the SEIR, giving the EPI real-time immunization data to monitor program performance and coverage. SEIR has helped EPI-Sindh track and immunize missed children, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This project and its research aim to ensure that no child is left behind and is protected against all vaccine-preventable diseases for a healthier and stronger future.