Before we started this present push system i.e. Vaccine Direct Delivery through the eHealth Africa in Dec,2016, all our Apex facilities get their vaccines from the LCCOs, while the cascade facilities get theirs from the Apex facilities, i.e. pull system. For some LCCOs, they have to wait for transportation fare, at times use the opportunity of any training, before they visit the State Cold Store to get vaccines, which usually delay the process and contribute to vaccines stock out at the facility level. In the past, there that possibility that an apex facility can visit the LGA cold store and the LCCO is not having vaccines in stock, simply because he’s yet to visit the state cold store.

In December 2016, eHealth Africa commenced the Vaccine Direct Delivery Project in Sokoto State. Vaccine Direct Delivery (VDD) is a third party logistics service that ensures vaccines and dry goods are delivered timely, at correct doses and in good condition to health facilities at the ward level.

And now there is no need for any apex facility to visit the LGA cold store, because they always get their vaccines from the eHealth Africa biweekly. Reliably there is a great transformation from the old way of vaccine pull system, and the new push system through the eHealth. For now, none of the LGA CCO visits the state for vaccine collection again. Aside from vaccine delivery by eHealth Health delivery officers, they also ensure vaccine re-distribution to all the facilities whenever the state cold store is out of stock, which is highly commendable.

From past experience, some facilities after organizing the community for outreach session, their vaccines will get finished on time or no diluents at all, but with eHealth push system in palace, the HDOs ensure that they package all HFs LGA vaccines (bundles) including the devices at once without leaving anything behind which actually helped improved the RI services in the State.