PESHAWAR: The health authorities have launched a mobile phone application and distributed it among Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) technicians to monitor vaccination of children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking to this correspondent, Imtiaz, an EPI technician from a civil dispensary in Dabgari locality, said that now they need to check in using their codes when they go out into the field for vaccination of children.
“After we complete duty, we check out of the android phone application and also submit how many children we covered in vaccination drive,” he added.
Shahid, another EPI technician from Wazirbagh civil dispensary, stated that he had trained several other technicians on use of the android application. He said the EPI technicians have stopped participating in anti-polio campaigns and they are not focused on routine immunisation only.
He also said that he had started using the mobile application, although all the vaccinators would officially begin submitting data through the android from September 1.
Assistant Director Dr Nasreen said that they have initially distributed 1400 smart phones among EPI technicians.
“The main benefit of the android application is that now the staff cannot dodge authorities in duties as their location is traced when they visit an area. In the past, they could lie that they have visited an area for immunisation but now they are monitored and we know location that they visit,” she added. She said that the Punjab IT Board supported them in launching the phone application.