General Administration Department (GAD) has constituted a 24-members Union Territory Level and 13-members District Level Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) committees to prevent adverse effect post vaccination of COVID19 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Headed by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo as its chairman, the IGP Jammu as well as Kashmir as members, Mission Director, NHM, J&K as member, Drug Controller, J&K as member, Director Family Welfare MCH and Immunization, J&K as vice chairman, State Immunization Officer, J&K as convenor/member secretary, Head of Department Pediatrics GMC, Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, SIKMS, Soura, JVC, Bemina, Kathua, Rajouri, and Doda as members, Head of Departments of Medicine, Head of Department Microbiology various Govt hospitals, Head of Department Pathology, Head of Department Forensic Medicine, Head of Anesthesia, Head of SPM GMCs, Union Territory Surveillance Officer, Jammu/Kashmir, UT Epidemiologist Jammu/Kashmir, Health Officers JMC Jammu/Srinagar, Assistant Director Family Welfare, Jammu/Kashmir, members from UNDP J&K/WHO/UNICEF, audio visual officer family welfare, cold chain officer, members of Indian Association of Physicians/Indian Medical Association (UT Chapter) and representatives of electronic media/print media as members.
Similarly, District Level Committee of 13-members headed by Chief Medical Officer has also been constituted.
“If anyone develops adverse effects post vaccination, these committees have been constituted to deal with the situation in a planned and coordinated manner. They will communicate with each other and counter the rumor mills, too. They will also analyze the symptoms among the patients with the support of medical colleges,” Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo told Greater Kashmir.
Dulloo said that: “These are tactical committees constituted prior to the vaccination. It is likely that the vaccination may be administered from or after January 15, 2021.”
He said that they will administer the vaccination for COVID-19 to 1.10 lakh health care workers, 4 to 5 lakh front-line workers including police, and to around 25 lakh people having age over 50-years and people with co-morbidity and others.
Ahead of this vaccination process, he said, they have geared up to deal with the situation in the Union Territory.
Therefore, these committees as per the GAD order to review Case Reporting Forms (CRF), Preliminary Case Investigation Forms (PCIF) and Final Case Investigation Forms (FCIF) for causality assessments.
The Union Territory Level Committee will periodically review the database of AEFI cases, look for districts not reporting AEFI cases for a long time, to conduct field visits and inspections of vaccination sites, cold-chain stores, interviewing AEFI cases/relatives, treating doctors, staff, vaccinators, members of District AEFI Committee, if required.
They will also provide technical guidance on policy and implementation of LJT AEFI Surveillance Programme and review AEFI programme guidelines/SOPs and establish systems to ensure reporting of quality data.
To provide support for strengthening AEFI surveillance in the UT through handholding and facilitating training and workshops as and when required.