India prepares for its first Covid immunisation drive

• Centre initiates database creation of health workers for the Covid vaccine drive.
• Central government shares “standard excel-based template” for data collection
• Data of beneficiaries to be uploaded on Covid-19 Vaccine Beneficiary Management System (CVBMS)

THD NewsDesk, New Delhi: As of October 23, the Centre has finally initiated the procedure for data collection of frontline health to be uploaded on the Covid-19 Vaccine Beneficiary Management System (CVBMS). As a part of India’s first Covid immunization drive, directions have been issued to state governments for building a database of medical staff who will be the first to benefit from the vaccination program. Including pharmacists, technicians, ward boys, and security staffers, for administering the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available. 

To achieve uniformity in database creation, the central government provided a “standard excel-based template” and procedural instructions and a link for downloading the template. The Centre has asked state governments to include pharmacists, technicians, ward boys, and security staff in the “database of beneficiaries.” 

To streamline the process, the CVBMS has categorized health workers under nine headings – 

• Frontline workers
• Nurses and supervisors
• Medical officers
• Paramedical staff
• Support staff
• Medical students
• Scientists and research staff
• Clerical and administrative staff
• Other healthcare personnel

The nine categories will include ASHA workers, sanitization workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, AYUSH doctors, dentists, physiotherapists, and radiographers working at private and public hospitals alike. 

Process of database creation

Under the supervision of mission directors at the National Health Mission (NHM), the first phase of data collection will commence. From now on, these officers will be acknowledged as state nodal officers and will enjoy state immunization officers (SIO). The collective duty of State nodal officers and SIO’s, supported by the District Magistrate, Chief Medical Officer, and Commissioners encompasses:

•  Ensuring all-around coordination and guiding the healthcare workers’ through the process
• Information dissemination and circulation of the template link for data collection in all government and private health facilities of districts allotted to them
• Analyzing bi-weekly feedback from districts on the status of work and tracking the monitoring indicators as per the timeline
• Providing updates to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National COVID Vaccine Cell
• Collation of the templates from all health facilities by October 31

According to the prescribed guidelines, data collection of health workers falls on the in-charges of both government and private facilities. Moreover, the presentation specified that database-building would be carried out at the district level only. The heavy responsibility of submitting the database by October 25, 2020, weighs on the shoulders of mission directors who will execute this nationwide exercise. 

Source: The Print