Private facilities in the national COVID-19 vaccination effort
How UHF worked through city health authorities to bring private health facilities into Uganda’s vaccination campaign and its reporting system.
- The challenge
Private facilities already offering immunisation were outside the COVID-19 vaccination effort. To take part, a facility needed to be reporting into DHIS2, to have a working vaccine fridge, and to have health workers designated as vaccinators.
- What UHF did
Through a grant from the USAID Uganda Health Systems Strengthening Activity, UHF worked through the city health authorities to identify and select private facilities against the Ministry of Health’s criteria.
- Facilities completed a readiness checklist; those below the pass mark were supported to meet the standard.
- Three people were trained at each facility: a vaccination officer, a clinician for adverse events, and a data clerk.
- Trainers came from the city health authority teams, using the WHO standard curriculum approved by the Ministry.
- Where
129 private facilities were targeted in 11 cities: Arua, Entebbe, Fort Portal, Gulu, Hoima, Jinja, Lira, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara and Soroti.
- Results
- 116 private facilities accredited to offer COVID-19 vaccination.
- 74 facilities reported 174,145 doses directly through EPIVAC, the national vaccination certification portal.
- A further 29 facilities gave 3,772 doses, reported through public facilities as outreach sites.
- What it left behind
A sector-wide framework, drafted and approved with the Ministry of Health, for private sector participation in the national response to outbreaks, and a seat for UHF on the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre’s national response task force.
Other work under way.
- Community health · Digital healthStrengthening Community-Based Platforms to Enhance Surveillance, Reporting and Management of SGBV Lira, Kyenjojo, Mayuge and Namutumba 267 SGBV screening reports submitted through e-CHIS
- Research · Gender-based violenceFGM Study and SGBV Screening Tool Pilot, Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement 35.2% FGM prevalence among women and girls aged 15 to 49
- Digital health · ResearchPartnership with the Africa Centre for Applied Digital Health (CADH) Health facilities across Uganda Facility data systems assessed; model biobanks of leftover samples prepared in Uganda and Kenya.
- Malaria · Referral systemsBridging Health and Education: School Referrals to Private Providers for Timely Malaria Response Jinja and Mpigi 36 private health facilities trained on malaria treatment reporting and referral
- Environmental health · ResearchSolid Waste Management Pilot, Kampala Kampala Stakeholders mapped; government, private sector and technical partners brought together to co-create costed solutions.
Need private facilities in your programme?
UHF reaches them through city health teams and its member associations.