Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI) Assistant Manager

Job Overview:

The Assistant Manager EPI will assist the EPI Manager in administering and directing the EPI activities. The Assistant EPI Manager is responsible for ensuring an effective level of protection to reduce substantially the morbidity and mortality caused by Vaccine Preventable Diseases. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assists the EPI Manager to reduce substantially the morbidity and mortality caused by Vaccine Preventable Diseases in Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Supervises subordinate staff towards the management of EPI activities. 
• Conducts training programmes and lecture discussions for nursery school teachers and primary school principals on the importance of immunization. 
• Conducts in-house training sessions for staff on “Cold Chain management” and other related EPI activities. 
• Implements orientation and training programmes for various categories of health care staff and conducts lecture discussions with various categories of related health-care workers on EPI practices and procedures. 
• Provides daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual reports to the EPI Manager on immunization activities in Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Reports to the EPI Manager on the state of refrigerators, freezers and other related cold chain equipment and makes recommendations for replacement where necessary. 
• Verifies the quantities and receipts of all vaccines procured by the Ministry of Health.
• Conducts supervisory visits to all County Offices, Health Centres, and other health-care offices to ensure Cold Chain management and proper practices and procedures are adhered to relative to the EPI activities. 
• Investigates and reports all injection related adverse events. 
• Monitors immunization activities to ensure EPI programmes and surveillance activities are achieving target. 
• Ensures that proper storage conditions and general maintenance of storage rooms at the Central Storage facility are adhered to. 
• Manages the transport and distribution of vaccines from central storage area to counties, health centres, hospitals and private practitioners in Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Ensures timely collection of data from all counties throughout Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Reviews all the EPI data forms on immunization activities to reflect current changes to the immunization activities and make recommendations accordingly. 
• Assists the Manager EPI in tracking data trends to inform policy decisions on infectious diseases. 
• Co-ordinates with the EPI Manager to deliver countrywide EPI immunization campaigns. 
• Assists the EPI Manager in the conduct of workshops/updates for medical and nursing personnel both in the public and private health sector. 
• Advises the EPI Manager on surveillance activities as it relates to vaccine preventable diseases reported at hospitals, health centres, counties and private practitioners. 

Minimum Qualifications, Education and Experience

• Registered Nurse with a Diploma in Health Visiting. 
• Five (5) years of experience as a District Health Visitor. 
• An excellent understanding of the EPI procedures, system and guidelines.
• Training in management or related fields from a recognised institution would be an asset.