Linking community volunteer surveillance focal persons with health extension workers on polio surveillance.

BACKGROUND

Inadequate involvement of community volunteers in vaccine preventable disease surveillance and lack of uniformity in the reporting channel.

OBJECTIVE

To identify factors affecting linkage of Community Volunteers Surveillance focal Persons (CVSFP) and HEWs/Woreda Health Offices, identify feasible and acceptable solution for strong linkage and sustainable implementation of the project.

METHOD: A qualitative study based on purposive convenient sampling method involving CVs, HEW, responsible officials on Health Extension Program (HEP) and CORE Group Ethiopia Polio Partner NGO's focal persons was conducted.

RESULT: A total of 26 discussants were interviewed in the study woredas. Training of community volunteers at enrollment was not uniform. Health Extension workers and CVs plan together, visit the community together, have periodic meeting and both are supervised by the woreda health office. Community volunteers report to HEWs or woreda health office. The HEWs complain that CVs are not available as required; some are not reporting to HEWs, HEWs are not involved in the training of volunteers. Community volunteers complain distant travel to woreda and kebele to report and for meeting.

CONCLUSION

The day to day working relation, the meeting forums, woreda level monitoring and feedback mechanism shows how well the work of CVs and relation with HEWs is recognized. No standard training procedure is followed. Volunteers are used as guide; distance travel with no/inadequate incentive can reduce commitment of volunteers. Misunderstanding of HEWs about the volunteers' private/obligatory work was a factor for loose relation.