The Ministry of Health has begun distributing Shs 360 million worth of immunisation job aids to strengthen supervision and ensure accuracy in vaccine delivery, weeks after more than 100 pupils in Ntungamo District were mistakenly given the wrong deworming drug.
The materials, developed under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Phase II programme, were officially handed over on November 12. They aim to guide frontline health workers and restore public confidence in Uganda’s immunisation and mass drug administration campaigns.
Alfred Dirwale, Commissioner of Health Services, Institutional Capacity Building & Human Resource Development, said the job aids provide step-by-step guidance to prevent errors during vaccination sessions.
“We acknowledge the public concern following the incident and have taken it as a wake-up call to tighten quality assurance. These job aids will guide vaccinators step by step to avoid mix-ups and errors in the future,” Dirwale said.
He explained that the guides serve as quick reference tools in busy clinics, assisting staff in planning immunisation sessions, storing vaccines correctly, and administering them safely at the appropriate site and age.
“This strategy has contributed to our successes in disease prevention. While malaria used to be the leading cause of death among children, pneumonia has now overtaken it, partly due to effective immunisation strategies,” Dirwale added.
Rita Atugonza from the Vaccines and Immunisation Division emphasized that the aids were developed collaboratively with Ministry staff and partners to ensure consistent quality across all vaccination points.
“This handover is not merely symbolic; it reinforces regional efforts to build a resilient health system. The job aids will be distributed to health facilities nationwide by the National Medical Stores, prioritising districts experiencing frequent outbreaks and those hosting refugee settlements,” Atugonza said.
The initiative follows a recent incident at Kajumbajumba Primary School in Ntungamo, where over 100 pupils received incorrect deworming tablets. Several children fell unconscious, and at least 44 were hospitalised, sparking nationwide concern.
Patrick Kagurusi, Director of Amref Health Africa in Uganda, highlighted the importance of continuous support and capacity building for health workers, describing them as the backbone of Uganda’s immunisation efforts.
“The recent errors in the field underscore why these materials are crucial. They simplify procedures and make it easier for health workers to follow standard guidelines. Our goal is to strengthen last-mile delivery so that communities continue to trust health interventions,” Kagurusi said.
He added that the job aids represent a broader investment in preventive health, noting that immunisation remains far more cost-effective than managing disease outbreaks.