Daily immunization services: A moral duty, not an empty slogan

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Immunology

Background:

• Childhood immunization services in military hospitals were limited to twice weekly, restricting vaccine availability to Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) vaccines.
• This restricted schedule and vaccine offering led to missed vaccinations and was insufficient for achieving 100% immunization coverage.
• A new initiative, CHOICE (Comprehensive child Healthcare, OPD services and Immunization Clinic Everyday), was implemented in two hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a restricted, weekly immunization schedule with a comprehensive, daily immunization program.
• To evaluate the impact of the CHOICE initiative on vaccine delivery rates and clinic attendance.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study was conducted comparing two vaccine delivery systems.
• System 1: Restricted approach offering only UIP vaccines weekly.
• System 2: Comprehensive approach offering UIP and optional vaccines daily under pediatrician supervision.

Main Results:

• The comprehensive daily immunization approach led to a significant and progressive increase in immunization clinic attendance.
• Delivery rates for all vaccines, especially combination vaccines, markedly improved.
• The workload per immunization session decreased concurrently with increased attendance.

Conclusions:

• Daily immunization services represent a superior method for delivering vaccines to children.
• The CHOICE program demonstrated a substantial increase in clinic attendance and improved utilization of hospital services.
• Implementing daily immunization clinics enhances vaccine accessibility and public health outcomes for pediatric populations.