BLN Webinar: RED-QI (Reaching Every District incorporating Quality Improvement)

Nov 18, 2014

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Ethiopia, Uganda

The Better Immunization Data Learning Network (BLN) recently hosted a webinar which elaborated on RED-QI (Reaching Every District incorporating Quality Improvement approaches).

The “RED-QI” approach is a process that supports addressing larger priority problems (e.g. persistently high drop-out rates) using small, rapid, doable changes that can be quickly tested and evaluated for adoption, adaption, or abandonment at the local level. Ethiopia and Uganda have used this approach to improve immunization programs. The webinar highlighted three speakers who have worked extensively with this approach and are able to share insights into the utility of RED-QI. They elaborate how health care providers have had their capacity built to use quality improvement approaches to strengthen immunization programs through seeking out and sharing successful solutions. RED-QI is a versatile approach that can be applied beyond improving immunization programs and can be used to improve other health service interventions.  This webinar offered practical information on setting up quality improvement systems that support better implementation of immunization programs.

In case you missed the virtual event, you can view the webinar, “RED-QI (Reaching Every District incorporating Quality Improvements).”

Presenter Information

Jenny Sequeira

Ms. Jenny Sequeira comes with over 17 years of public health program planning, implementation and management experience, with a focus on routine immunization.  Areas of particular expertise include strengthening local area monitoring and quality improvement approaches in health—to promote better information visualization and use of data for decision making; operationalizing the Reaching Every District approach; community-based program planning, implementation and follow up; and strengthening of community centered approaches.  She has worked extensively in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, The Gambia, and Azerbaijan, and short term in Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan.  Jenny currently serves as a Senior Program Officer on the Vaccine Delivery team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Zenaw Adam, MPH, MSc, PhD. 

Dr Zenaw Adam is Technical Director of the Universal Immunization through Improving Family Health Services in Ethiopia, (UI-FHS).   Dr Zenaw has more than 30 years of experience in national and international health including services with the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and the Faculty of Medicine at Addis Ababa University. Dr Zenaw took a new career direction in international public health mainly on immunization, disease surveillance and control in different countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. His experience comes from working for different international organizations including Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa (AFRO) and Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) Regions.  Dr Zenaw has taken short and long term assignments in Yemen, East Timor, Egypt, Pakistan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Republic of Congo, as a consultant and as a national immunization focal person and manager for measles control program.  Prior to his current position, he assumed as the African Regional Coordinator for H1N1 vaccine deployment program under the joint MCHIP/USAID and WHO/AFRO Region stationed in Brazzaville, Congo.   Dr Zenaw has been serving as Technical Director of UI-FHS since 2011.

Dr Gerald Ssekitto MBBS, MPH

Dr Gerald Ssekitto has over 28 years of experience in managing multi-faceted public health programs in East Africa. In his positions as District Health Officer in multiple districts in Uganda, he led teams of health professionals and partners in planning, resource mobilization, human resource management, program implementation, supervision, monitoring, and evaluation of health services. He has served as a long-term consultant to UNICEF, advised government leaders and NGOs on health issues, and has worked extensively to strengthen community-oriented programs in immunization, nutrition, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS. In 2012, he joined JSI as District Technical officer and subsequently became the Uganda Country Director for the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) and its successor, the Maternal and Child Survival Program.  In this capacity, he provides technical leadership in implementing the Reaching Every Child incorporating Quality Improvement methods (REC-QI approach), which is being carried out in districts in three regions of Uganda. Dr Ssekitto holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, a Masters’ of Public Health degree, a certificate in improving quality of care and performance improvement, and a post-graduate diploma in project planning and management.

Dr Chilunga Puta, PhD, MPH, CQIA

Dr Chilunga Puta, Director of the BLN, is an infectious disease research and public health practitioner with over 20 years of experience working in developing country health care settings. She has held diverse technical and administrative positions that have enabled her to acquire a wide range of skills and in-depth understanding of developing economy health care systems.

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