Strengthening Comm. Skills & Planning on Routine Immunization Program in India

Organized by:

Immunization Technical Support Unit - Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare

in collaboration with

Directorate of Family Welfare, Govt. of NCT, Delhi

STATE LEVEL WORKSHOP ON

STRENGTHENING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

AND PLANNING ON ROUTINE

IMMUNIZATION

September 5-6, 2013

Communication

Workshop Report

Communication Workshop Report 1

Strengthening Communication Skills and Planning on Routine Immunization

A two-day interactive communication workshop on “Strengthening Communication Skills and Planning

on Routine Immunization” was organized by the Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) of the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) in collaboration with the Directorate of Family Welfare,

Govt. of NCT, Delhi on 5-6 September, 2013.

The basic objective of the workshop was to strengthen and revitalize the communication skills of officials

and institutions at the district level, namely, the District Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Officers (since

the District RCH Officer also handles immunization), District IEC officers and representatives from Nodal

agencies. As these officers are responsible for implementing communication interventions on Routine

Immunization (RI) at the district level, strengthening and revitalizing their communication skills would have

a direct bearing on successful implementation of the RI programme in the state.

46 participants comprising of District RCH Officers, District IEC Officers, Representatives from Municipal

Corporation of Delhi, Training Institutes and State Health Bureaus actively participated in the workshop.

The workshop was made interactive through energizers and group activities, covering topics such as,

developing communication action plans, how to develop a press release and equipping participants with

necessary skills of handling the media through a mock press conference.

The workshop was well received by the participants, who shared their learning’s from the workshop

sessions and how it would help them to effectively plan communication interventions for reaching out to

families and communities for accepting Routine Immunization. Dr. D.K. Diwan, Director, Family Welfare,

Government of NCT, Delhi appreciated the efforts of ITSU team in conducting and facilitating the workshop.

Feedback received from participants would pave the way forward for conducting similar skill building

workshops for the high-focus states.

The workshop commenced with a

welcome address by Dr. R.K Batra, State

EPI Officer, followed by a mutual

introduction of participants. Participants

introduced each other through an

interactive game where one half of a

picture was given to each participant and

they had to find their partners by

matching the other half of the picture and

introduce her/him in a few lines. The

introductory exercise also served as an

ice-breaker for the participants and set

the tone for the workshop. To help

facilitators assess the existing

Day 1

Dr. N. Vasantha Kumar, Mission Director (NRHM), Government

of NCT, Delhi with Dr. D.K Diwan, Director, Family Welfare (with

the mike) and Dr. R.K Batra, State EPI officer during the

inaugural session.

A brief synopsis of the workshop



communication knowledge and skills of

participants, a pre-test assessment was done

wherein participants were asked to fill in a

questionnaire.

Thereafter, participants’ expectations from the

workshop were sought, which was noted and put

up on the soft board – facilitators tried to weave in

these expectations during the workshop sessions

over the two-days.

Communication concepts

The session was facilitated by Ms. Monica

Chaturvedi, (Senior Advisor, Strategic

Communication, ITSU). It focused on the basics

of communication – the process, barriers in

communication, types of communication – verbal

and non-verbal and gateway behaviors.

Participants also got an overview of the relevance

of behavior change in strategic communication,

the paradigm shift from IEC to BCC and need to

focus on methods for effective communication.

Participants played interactive “Word Ball” and “Speaking Mirror” games on effective communication, which

helped them focus on what the previous person said and make quick connections. They could relate with

both the games experience to basic principles of communication (see box).

Word Ball Game - The ‘word ball’ game encourages spontaneous communication and helps connect a group of people. You'll need a ball and participants form a circle. Someone throws the ball and says a word. The next person has to catch the ball and say a related word. For example, the chain might go: SKY - BLUE - OCEAN - WATER and so on….

Speaking Mirror Game –It was an extension of the previous game in which the participants had to weave a story. While A speaks, person B silently listens and then taking the lead from the previous speakers and takes the story forward.

Participants’ expectations from the workshop –

displayed here on the board.

Participants introducing each other during the

introductory session.

Session on Communication concepts



Channels of communication and networking

platforms for visibility & rebranding

The session was facilitated by Ms. Chailtali Mukherjee,

Manager, Strategic Communication, ITSU that focused on

identification of different channels of communication and

their relevance for specific target audiences – which channel

works best, whether it is mass media, mid media or

interpersonal communication, and for whom?

The session helped participants identify structures and

networks within communities for social mobilization and

advocacy and how these could be tapped to stimulate and

bring about behaviour change at the family and community

level.

Participants shared their field level experiences on how they have been using different channels of

communication for various public health interventions.

Developing effective communication plans

The session facilitated by Dr. Subhadra Menon, Head -

Communication, Public Health Foundation of India,

gave participants an understanding of the important

steps for developing an effective communication action

plan, which is evidence-based and tailored to address

local needs and context.

Participants shared their experiences on how they had

handled difficult situations through simple but effective

communication in their day to day functioning. They

identified gaps and barriers in the communication

process and suggested ways of addressing them, such

as building trust and community mobilization for RI,

addressing parental perceptions and concerns,

attitudes of health care providers and addressing

systems and personnel issues.

Dr. Menon used her rich professional experience and shared personal anecdotes to make the session

interactive and facilitate better understanding amongst the participants.

Monitoring of communication interventions

The session was facilitated by Mr. Amit Sharma, Manager, Data Operations, ITSU which helped participants

understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation and how as programme managers, monitoring

helps them in assessing the status and progress of implementation of communication interventions. It was

emphasized to develop a monitoring plan along with communication plan for concurrent monitoring and

supervision. The session gave participants an overview of the M&E process - inputs, outputs, processes,

Dr. Subhadra Menon speaking to participants on developing effective communication action plans

Energizer Post-lunch, an energizer was played wherein participants were asked to think of an adjective which describes them or how they were feeling, but the adjective should start with the same letter as their name, for instance, “relaxed Rajani”. In this way, they had to recall names and adjectives of the previous two participants in the chain. The energizer rejuvenated the participants and they were all focused on post-lunch sessions with a fresh mind!!



outcomes and impact. Participants also got an understanding of various IEC/BCC indicators that can be

included in a monitoring plan and what could be the monitoring tools. Draft monitoring templates, which

included field monitoring plan for IEC activity development and implementation, capacity building,

compliance activity and stock position of communication material, were shared with the participants.

Day 2 started with a recapitulation of the previous day’s

proceedings and learning’s. This was followed by a group

activity on ‘Developing Communication Action Plans’ and

presentations by groups thereafter followed by discussion.

Group Work

Developing communication action plans

Participants were divided into groups and a draft template

was shared with them, on which they were asked to design

a communication action plan for RI. The draft template (refer to annexure 2) had pointers for behavioral

analysis of different target groups, communication activities at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and

monitoring communication activities.

Outcome: Participants were able to strategize the communication plan and moderators pitched in with their

inputs to help participants get better understanding on key elements such as identifying target groups,

current behaviors, and barriers to appropriate behaviors, key messages for specific target groups,

identifying appropriate channels for reaching out to them, developing monitoring indicators and collection

of information/ data.

AEFI - Basic concepts and national surveillance

The session, facilitated by Dr. Jyoti Joshi Jain, Senior Advisor-AEFI, ITSU, gave participants an overview

of the basic concepts of AEFI – the new WHO definition, impact of AEFIs on the immunization

A participant sharing the recap of previous day’s sessions.

Participant’s working on group activity

Day 2

Participant’s presenting their group work.



program,lifecycle of vaccine and pre-licensure

assessment of vaccine safety. Participants also got an

understanding of AEFI case selection for investigation and

causality assessment.

Dr. M.K Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner- Immunization,

MOHFW, gave participants a snapshot of ‘National AEFI

surveillance’, outlining the purpose of AEFI surveillance,

major milestones achieved, and formation of the AEFI

secretariat. He also shared state-wise data on serious

AEFI reporting with the participants, current program on

vaccine pharmacovigilance and future plans.

Vaccine risk communication and handling media

during an AEFI

The session aimed at building participants’ understanding of the basic tenets of communicating with the

media during ‘critical risk situations’ such as an AEFI. Participants were sensitized on the need for

communication around vaccine safety and understanding media perspective. Through case studies and

group exercises, efforts were made to build their skills on how to communicate with the media during crisis

situations through press interviews, press conferences, press statements and press releases. Participants

were briefed on the structure and important points to consider while writing a press release. This was also

reiterated through an interactive exercise.

Mock press conference

A mock press conference was conducted based on a recent case study. Five participants, along with the

SEPIO, volunteered to be panelists/spokespersons to answer media queries. To give participants the feel

of the journalists, tags of various media houses along with some indicative questions were given to the

participants so they could put up to the panelists. The panelists were given a backgrounder to be better

prepared to answer the questions. The mock session gave participants a first-hand experience of how to

handle media queries during a crisis situation such as an AEFI.

Dr. Jyoti Joshi Jain, Senior Advisor-AEFI, ITSU

discussing AEFI concepts with participants.

Press conference – participants engaged in a mock session



Concluding session

A quick post-test assessment was conducted and

participants were asked to fill-in a questionnaire. A

comparative analysis of filled-in pre- and post-test

forms indicates that the workshop was successful

in addressing gaps in communication knowledge

and skills of participants. Participants also shared

their feedback on the workshop – their major

learning’s, which sessions they found to be useful

and suggestions for improvement in topics/

sessions for future workshops.

Dr. D.K. Dewan, Director, Family Welfare,

Government of NCT, Delhi, thanked the ITSU

team and appreciated its efforts in successfully

organizing and conducting the workshop.

Dr. D.K. Dewan, Director, Family Welfare, Govt. of

NCT, Delhi (centre) during the concluding session.

Feedback from participants

The workshop was well planned and met most of

their expectations, but the sessions were tightly

packed for 2-days. They felt the training should be

structured for 3-days, with more role plays and group

exercises.

The workshop gave them a platform to learn, share

and discuss field activities and incorporate

communication related interventions in their

programming.

The IPC films were appreciated and helped them

learn effective counseling and communication skills.

The session on developing effective communication

action plans would help them translate the acquired

knowledge in developing communication plans for

their districts.

Would adopt this training format to build capacities

of their field staff on BCC, develop key messages

and communication material for specific audiences,

and engage with local influencers and leaders for

mobilizing families/communities.

The workshop helped them understand the

importance of effective communication, giving out

the right messages, handling media during crisis

situations, writing press release and important things

to keep in mind during a press conference.

Acknowledgement from the Director, Family Welfare,

Government of NCT, Delhi.



(Day 1 – 5th Sept 2013)

Time Session Methodology Moderator / Facilitator Outcome

09:30 – 10:00

Registration of participants

Pre-designed format

Nidhi Bisht (Research Associate, ITSU)

10:00 – 10:05

Welcome Dr. Dewan, Dir. FW

10:05 – 10:25

Introduction of participants

Interactive game/exercise

Monica Chaturvedi (Sr. Advisor, Strategic Communication, ITSU)

The exercise would help participants think creative and mutually introduce themselves

10:25 – 10:40

Pre-test assessment

Structured questionnaire

Chaitali Mukherjee (Manager, Strategic Communication, ITSU)

Would help facilitators assess the existing communication knowledge and skills of participants and accordingly adapt in the sessions

10:40 – 10:50

Expectations from the workshop

Group exercise using VIPP cards

Monica/Chaitali (ITSU) Would help facilitators understand participants’ expectations from the workshop

10:50 – 11:10

Overview of Immunization Programme

Presentation Dr. Ajay Khera (DC – CH & Imm.)

Participants get a complete understanding and overview of the UIP

11:10 – 11:20

Tea – break

11:20 – 12:00

Communication concepts

Presentation, group exercise using games and case studies

Monica Chaturvedi Participants understand the basic concepts of communication and the relevance of Behaviour Change in strategic communication, paradigm shift from IEC to BCC, methods for effective communication etc.

12:00 – 12:40

Channels of communication & networking platforms for visibility & branding

Presentation, group exercise

Chaitali Mukherjee Participants understand different channels for communication and identify effective networks/ platforms for implementation, advocacy and social mobilization at different levels and modes of engaging with them

12:40 – 1:10

Designing effective communication material

Presentation, interactive exercise

Chaitali Mukherjee Participants understand the important points to consider while designing communication material for effective communication with the target audience

1:10 – 2:00

Lunch

2:00 – 2:10

Energizer Interactive exercise

Nidhi Bisht Participants feel energized and rejuvenated, with a fresh mind and focus on post-lunch sessions

2:10 – 2:40

Developing effective communication action plans

Presentation

Dr. Subhadra Menon (Head – Communications, PHFI)

Participants understand important steps for developing effective communication action plans, which is evidence-based and tailored to address local needs and context and design an effective communication action plan

2.40-3.00 Monitoring of communication interventions

Presentation Amit Sharma (Manager-Data Operations, ITSU)

Participants understand the important indicators to consider for monitoring communication interventions.

3:10 – 4:30

Group activity-developing communication action plans

Group Work Dr. Subhadra Menon/ Monica Chaturvedi/Amit Sharma

Participants brainstorm and design an effective communication action plan.

4.30- 5.00 Presentation by groups on communication

Presentation by groups

Dr. Subhadra Menon/ Monica Chaturvedi/Amit Sharma

Participants make group presentations on communication action plans and also

Annexure 1- Agenda of the workshop



action plans followed by discussion

brainstorm on ideas/feedback to make them more effective.

DAY 2 (6th Sept, 2013)

Time Session Methodology Moderator / Facilitator Outcome

09:30 – 10:00

Recap of day 1 Jointly by rapporteur’s

Rapporteur’s/ ITSU Participants have a recap of the previous day’s sessions

10:00 – 11:15

Presentation by groups on communication action plans followed by discussion

Presentation by groups

Dr. Subhadra Menon/ Monica Chaturvedi/Amit Sharma

Participants make group presentations on communication action plans and also brainstorm on ideas/feedback to make them more effective.

11:15 – 11:30

Basic concepts of AEFI

Presentation Dr. Jyoti Joshi Jain (Sr. Advisor – AEFI, ITSU)

Participants get a basic understanding of AEFI

11.30-11.40

Tea Break

11.40 – 12:00

National Immunization programme & future plans

Presentation Dr. M.K. Agarwal (DC – Imm.)

Participants have an overview of the National immunization programme and future plans

12:00- 12.30

Vaccine Risk communication – handling media during an AEFI

Presentation, interactive exercise

Monica Chaturvedi Participants understand the basic tenets of communicating with the media during “critical risk situations” such as AEFIs

12:30 – 1:00

Important steps for a Press Release

Presentation, interactive exercise using case studies

Monica Chaturvedi Participants understand the important points to consider and the structure while writing a press release

1:00 – 1:45

Lunch

1.45 – 2:00

Energizer Interactive exercise

Nidhi Bisht Participants feel energized and rejuvenated, with a fresh mind and focus on post-lunch sessions.

2.00-3.00 Press Interview – mock session

Group exercise using a case study

ITSU/PHFI Participants get a hands-on experience of handling a press interview

3.00-3.30 Consolidating observes feedback

Open session ITSU/PHFI Participants understand the important points to remember handling the media during an interview.

3:30 – 3:45

Tea-Break

3.45-4.45

Press Conference – mock session

Group exercise using case studies

ITSU/PHFI Participants understand the important steps/points to remember while conducting a press conference, especially around an AEFI

4:45-5.00 Post-test assessment

Structured questionnaire

Chaitali/Nidhi Would help facilitators assess the pre- and post-workshop status of participants – whether the workshop has made some impact on the communication knowledge, understanding and skills of participants

5:00-5.15 Distribution of certificates

MD NRHM,Govt.of NCT,Delhi/Dr.Dewan

5.15 – 5:30

Vote of thanks Dr.R.K Batra, State EPI officer, Govt. of NCT, Delhi



Objective of the communication action plan

1. Behavioural Analysis Primary Target Group

(Individual or Household Level)

Secondary Target Group (Community

Level)

Tertiary Target Group

(Policy/Decision Level)

Who is the target group?

What is the current behaviour?

What is the recommended key behaviour?

What are the key barriers to the recommended behaviour?

What current or traditional practice/s could enhance promotion of the recommended behaviour?

2. Communication Strategy Primary Target Group

(Behaviour Change Com.)

Secondary Target

Group(Social Mobilization)


(Advocacy Communication)

Which barriers can be addressed through communication?

What is the key message for each target group?

What are the supportive messages?

What are the available channels of communication?

Interpersonal communication Mid media / reminder media Traditional media Mass media Others

What are the suggested communication activities?

What communication materials can be used to support the communication activities?

3. Monitoring Primary Target Group

(Behaviour Change Com.)

Secondary Target

Group(Social Mobilization)


(Advocacy Communication)

What are the SMART behavioural objectives?

What are the behavioural monitoring indicators?

How will you measure these?

Who will collect information/data?

4. Suggested Communication Activities Budget Timeframe

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6

Interpersonal communication

Mid media / reminder media

Traditional media

Mass media

Annexure 2: Communication Plan Draft Template



State Level Workshop on Strengthening Communication Skills and Planning on Routine Immunization ( 5-6 Sept 2013)

S.no Name of the participant

Designation District Phone numbers

E-mail id

1 Dr. Indu Mehra CMO,MCD North-west 9868813421 [email protected]

2 Anil Kumar D.T.C North 8800948694 [email protected]

3 Dr. Punit Jaitely Program officer, NRHM

Central 9911112567 [email protected]

4 Harsh Bala DTC Central 9540702111 [email protected]

5 Virender Singh BCC Central 9953636380 [email protected]

6 Dr. Parul Gupta MOIC NDMC 9899010840 NA

7 Dr. Vishesh Kumar SRTL-WHO,NPSP,Delhi

Delhi 9871126034 [email protected]

8 Ms. Chanchal Senger PHN DPMU, NRHM

North 9958336314 [email protected]

9 Dr. Namrita Nayyar Dist. RCH Nodal officer


10 Dr. Vinita Arora CMO-NFSG,MCD


11 Dr. Monika Paweria MOIC East Delhi 9911078406 [email protected], [email protected]

12 Dr. Neeta Lal CMO (SAG) South Delhi 9818730327 [email protected]

13 Ms. Priyanka Gusain BCC officer, DPMU

South Delhi 8860072004 [email protected]

14 Dr. Shilpi Kakar EDMC GDMO-II

North-East 9810431634 [email protected]

15 Mrs. Priti Rawat PHN instructor

HFWTC 99110855029 [email protected]

16 Dr. Sonal Kumar State trainer HFWTC 9999461171 [email protected]

17 Mr. Krishan Kant Saini PHN,DHS North-East 9718055029 [email protected]

18 Dr. Shireen Lamba MOIC DFF 9868404361 [email protected]

19 Dr. Amrita CMO DFW 9891872236 [email protected]

20 Dr. Krishan DIO North-East 9868244710 [email protected]

21 Dr. Zarina Pereira DIO Central 9811265929 [email protected]

22 Dr. Madhu Bala CMO-BDMC East 9868316164 NA

23 Dr. Lalit Kumar Chauhan

DIO South-East 9999021201 [email protected]

24 Dr. Kavita Choudhary M.O East 9873270545 NA

25 Dr. Harleen DHS East 9810894541 NA

26 Dr. Shashi Verma MO DFW 9212721086 [email protected]

27 Ms. Mansi Graphic designer

DSHM 9911625310 [email protected]

28 Dr. Nivedita Chakarvarti

DIO Shahdra 9958964570 [email protected]

Annexure 3: Participants List



29 Mrs. Renu Kalia DHN North-East 8800759677 [email protected]

30 Dr. Manoj Gupta CDMO, NRHM

West 9990696807 [email protected]

31 Dr. Manju Singh CMO, MCD Central west 9871542229 [email protected]

32 Dr. A.C Batra DIO,DHS West 991130354 [email protected]

33 Dharmendra Sahu BCC officer West 8800834079 [email protected]

34 Dr. Anuradha MOIC Central 9899646904 [email protected]

35 Dr. Mriganka Bora MO, NDMC West 8860333122 [email protected]

36 Ms. Sonia Wadhwa Dist. Training coordinator

West 9899539535 [email protected]

37 Dr. Navneet Kaur Medical officer


38 Dr. Pushpender RCH nodal officer

South- West 9891969923 [email protected]

39 Dr. Rajni Bela Program officer, NRHM

South 9810400286 [email protected]

40 Dr. O.P Aggarwal Public Health specialist

DFW 9313381888 -

41 Dr. R.K Batra SEPIO DFW 9868393281 [email protected]

42 Dr. Satya Jain Professor- Dr. B.K Homeopathic medical college

South-West 9868393281 [email protected]

43 Dr. Poonam Panwar Program officer

South-West 9958039393 [email protected]

44 Dr. Ruma Sarkar NA Shadhara 9868989269 [email protected]

45 Dr. Karuna Singh CDMO East 9899745900 dgdkalyanpuri.com

46 Dr. Abha CDMO East 9868109035 [email protected]



Prepared by:

Strategic Communication Unit, ITSU-MOHFW

Address: 14, Community Center, Pancsheel Park, New Delhi

Telephone: 011-41213100

Strengthening Comm. Skills & Planning on Routine Immunization Program in India

Healthcare

Transcript of Strengthening Comm. Skills & Planning on Routine Immunization Program in India