Decision No. 1596/QD-BYT on the Program of Free Immunizations for Mandatory Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women in 2024.
Decision 1596/QD-BYT on the Free Vaccination Program for Mandatory Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women in 2024
On June 10, 2024, the Minister of Health issued Decision 1596/QD-BYT of 2024 on the Expanded Immunization Plan for 2024.
Based on the Expanded Immunization Plan for 2024 issued along with Decision 1596/QD-BYT of 2024, the Expanded Immunization Program (EIP) is a state-organized program to provide free mandatory vaccines to prevent infectious diseases for children and pregnant women.
Currently, the Program is implementing vaccinations to prevent 10 common and dangerous infectious diseases, significantly contributing to the elimination, exclusion, and substantial reduction of cases of dangerous infectious diseases.
To contribute to achieving Millennium Development Goal number 4, which is to reduce the mortality rate of children under 5 years old, Vietnam needs to continue maintaining these achievements and further enhance the quality, and effectiveness of the Expanded Immunization Program.
Under the direction of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Government of Vietnam, Vietnam strives to achieve a 90% immunization rate for children by 2025 and add vaccines to prevent 2 more infectious diseases; by 2030, ensure a vaccination rate of 95% and further add vaccines to prevent 2 more infectious diseases.
On August 15, 2022, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution 104/NQ-CP of 2022 on the roadmap to increase the number of vaccines in the Expanded Immunization Program from 2022-2030, approving the addition of 4 types of vaccines by 2030.
On June 24, 2023, the National Assembly issued Resolution 99/2023/QH15 on specialized supervision of the mobilization, management, and use of resources for COVID-19 prevention and control; the implementation of policies and laws related to grassroots healthcare, and preventive medicine, which directed the allocation of the central budget to continue implementing the national Expanded Immunization Program ensuring consistency and effectiveness nationwide.
On November 29, 2023, the National Assembly passed Resolution 109/2023/QH15 on continuing to implement some resolutions from the 14th National Assembly and from the beginning of the 15th National Assembly term until the end of the 4th session on specialized supervision and questioning, directing the strict implementation of allocating at least 30% of the healthcare budget for preventive medicine; ensuring sufficient vaccines and maintaining a vaccination rate of over 90% for all types of vaccines in the Free Vaccination Program for Mandatory Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women.
Decision 1596/QD-BYT of 2024 sets forth the objectives of the 2024 Expanded Immunization Program across 63 provinces nationwide as follows:
- Supply sufficient vaccines for the EIP.
- Maintain achievements and enhance the effectiveness of the EIP.
- Implement new vaccines in the EIP (Rotavirus, Td vaccines).
Decision 1596/QD-BYT on the Free Vaccination Program for Mandatory Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women in 2024 (Image from the Internet)
Implement Enhanced Vaccination Safety, Follow-Up on Post-Vaccination Reactions, and Supervise Vaccination Activities According to Decision 1596
Based on subsection 5.7, Section 5 of the Plan issued along with Decision 1596/QD-BYT of 2024, the implementation of enhanced vaccination safety, follow-up on post-vaccination reactions, and supervision of vaccination activities is as follows:
- Activity content:
+ Maintain post-vaccination reaction surveillance systems for vaccines included in the EIP; organize training sessions and retraining for TCMR staff at all levels on safe vaccination practices, monitoring, detecting, and investigating severe adverse events following immunization.
+ Conduct monitoring, reporting, investigating, and organizing the meetings of the Professional Advisory Council to evaluate the causes of severe adverse events following immunization as per regulations.
+ Compensate cases of severe adverse events following the use of vaccines in the EIP as per the regulations in Decree 104/2016/ND-CP from the Government of Vietnam on vaccination activities and Decree 13/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing several articles of Decree 104/2016/ND-CP.
+ Implement proactive surveillance and routine monitoring of vaccination activities according to the plan.
- Implementation time: Quarter I-IV of 2024
- Central level:
+ Lead agency: Department of Preventive Medicine.
+ Coordinating agencies: Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Administration; Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institutes, National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals, and related units.
- Provincial level:
+ Lead agency: Provincial and city Health Departments.
+ Coordinating agencies: Provincial and city Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and related units.
Organizing Statistical Activities, Reporting, and Applying Information Technology in Managing Immunization Data in 2024
Based on subsection 5.8, Section 5 of the Plan issued along with Decision 1596/QD-BYT of 2024, the organization of statistical activities, reporting, and applying information technology in managing immunization data in 2024 includes the following:
- Activity content:
+ Summarize, report EIP results, usage status of vaccines, and injection materials monthly, quarterly, and annually as per regulations.
+ Update the National Immunization Information System to meet usage requirements, including adding vaccines, doses in the EIP; adding components to check the immunization history of children in preschool and primary school; review and fix some errors when using the System.
- Implementation time: Quarter I-IV of 2024
- Lead agency: Department of Preventive Medicine
- Coordinating agencies: National Health Information Center; Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institutes; Provincial and city Health Departments; Provincial and city Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and related units.
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