Define, coordinate and monitor the EPI activities under his/her responsibility, in accordance with INTERSOS protocols, standards and procedures and with the national immunisation guidelines, in order to ensure the delivery of quality routine EPI services. This includes vaccination of all children under two years and of mothers, OPV for all children under five years, the improvement of the health condition of the target population, and the identification and follow-up of missed children in the community.
2. Tasks and responsibilities
Supervision of EPI activities
• Supervise the implementation of the EPI activities, including routine immunisation services and outreach activities, and the supervision of the Community Health Workers.
• Supervise the fixed centres and the outreach sites regularly, in accordance with the monthly plan.
• Ensure the quality of the vaccination activities, of the EPI equipment and of the facilities, through monthly supervision.
• Conduct regular site visits to assess the quality and effectiveness of the programme, and record the findings, the support provided and the actions agreed in a written supervision report.
• Ensure compliance with the national and international immunisation guidelines and standards.
Vaccine logistics and cold chain
• Ensure an efficient vaccine logistics system by coordinating with the district and provincial cold store for the timely transportation of vaccines to the health facilities.
• Ensure the correct use and maintenance of the vaccine cold chain equipment, and that temperature monitoring is carried out and recorded at every level.
• Monitor vaccine stock levels, expiry dates and wastage rates, and alert in advance of any risk of rupture or of cold chain failure.
• Ensure that injection safety and the safe handling and disposal of sharps and immunisation waste are applied at every vaccination point.
Training and capacity building
• Assess the training needs of the EPI staff regularly, through planned visits.
• Provide training and mentorship to the EPI staff, including nurses and midwives, in order to strengthen their skills and knowledge in immunisation.
• Facilitate workshops and training sessions on EPI-related topics.
• Verify that any staff member administering vaccines has been trained and assessed as competent in injection technique, cold chain handling and the management of adverse events following immunisation, and report to the Technical Manager – Medical any staff member who requires further supervision before vaccinating independently.
Data, reporting and analysis
• Collect the monthly reports from all health facilities and Community Health Workers.
• Analyse the data to identify trends, gaps and areas for improvement of the programme, and share the feedback with the health facility concerned.
• Verify that the reported figures correspond to the tally sheets and registers of the vaccination sites, and reconcile any difference before the report is submitted. No eligible child or mother is to be left unregistered, and no figure is to be adjusted in order to influence a reported indicator.
• Prepare the monthly plan and the monthly report and share them with the line manager.
Referral and community follow-up
• Follow up the referral activities from the community to the health facility, and supervise the referral pathway.
• Follow up the referrals from health facility level to higher-level hospitals.
• Ensure the identification, listing and follow-up of missed and defaulting children in the community, together with the Community Health Workers and the community mobilisers.
• Ensure that any adverse event following immunisation is reported without delay to the Technical Manager – Medical and managed in accordance with the national protocol.
Coordination and conduct
• Participate in the relevant coordination meetings at provincial level, including with the Provincial Directorate of Public Health and the EPI cluster or working group.
• Treat all beneficiaries and community members with respect, without discrimination, and ensure that vaccination services are accessible to all eligible children and mothers in the catchment area.
• Comply with the INTERSOS Charter of Values, Code of Ethics, the Policy for the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), the Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Fraud Policy, and report any concern through the established channels.
• Perform any other task related to the function of the position, as assigned by the supervisor.
