Customization and implementation of DHIS2 for COVID Immunization:

Customization and implementation of DHIS2 for COVID Immunization: A use case from Timor-Leste

22/06/2021 14.00 Saclling up COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Solutions
Prof Achala U Jayatilleke, HMIS Consultant, WHO Country Office, Timor-Leste

From March 2020 to June 2021, over 7500 COVDI-19 cases were reported in Timor-Leste with 17 deaths. In this backdrop, the Government of Timor-Leste introduced its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in early April 2021. Timor-Leste has been using dhis2 as the platform for its national health information management system called Timor-Leste Health Information System (TLHIS) since 2013, and it was decided to use the same platform for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The objective of the current project was to strengthen TLHIS to monitor progress of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Timor-Leste.

Ministry of Health, Timor-Leste with the technical assistance from WHO Country Office upgraded TLHIS with a COVID-19 Immunization Tracker (TLHIS-CIT) that was customized and integrated into the existing Timor-Leste Health Information System. The TLHIS-CIT had pre-registered data of the target population, and when a person receives the COVID-19 vaccination, it records the time validation enabling real-time data updating and tracking. The TLHIS-CIT was also designed to record any adverse events following immunization (AEFI). In addition to recording individual data, aggregated COVID-19 vaccination data were entered from the vaccination posts on daily basis. Monitoring and supervision forms were also integrated to the system using event capture.

Pre-planning allowed TLHIS-CIT to be launched at the onset of the Timor-Leste vaccination campaign on 7th April 2021 by His Excellencies the Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament of Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in august presence of Hon Health Minister. First and second phases of the campaign was successfully completed by 28th May 2021, providing 28500 vaccine doses in the first phase and 48000 doses in the second phase, with real time data entering into the system (TLHIS-CIT). The third phase of the vaccination campaign commenced on 31st May 2021, with over 13500 doses entered into the system by 6th June 2021. Administration of the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine will commence in the second week of June, and there are provisions in TLHIS-CIT to generate a “smart vaccine certificate” for individuals who are receiving the second dose. Ministry of Health is planning to use the experience and familiarization gained from the implementation of DHIS2 based tracker into the routine immunization by implementing DHIS 2 WHO Immunization package to track and report routine immunization data.

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