Jamaica is accelerating its efforts to improve the country’s immunisation programme and increase vaccination coverage through a data-driven immunisation strategy. This initiative comes at a pivotal time for the country’s healthcare system, which has evolved significantly over the past decades.

Once focused primarily on infectious diseases and maternal health, Jamaica’s public health model now emphasises comprehensive care, including chronic disease management, mental health, and preventative services. Further, since 2016 the government is implementing a far-reaching digitization initiative, Information Systems for Health (IS4H), which includes setting up an Electronic Immunization Registry (EIR) and wider use of telemedicine.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) oversees Jamaica’s public healthcare system and regulates private providers through licensing and partnerships, forming a dual healthcare system comprising both public and private services. Public services are largely government-funded and structured across three tiers—primary, secondary, and tertiary care—ensuring broad access to essential health services.

Immunisation has long been a cornerstone of Jamaica’s public health efforts to improve children’s health outcomes, with the country consistently achieving high vaccination rates. In 2023, Jamaica was awarded the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Henry C. Smith Award for the most improved immunisation coverage in the Caribbean for key antigens given to infants under 1 year of age in the post-pandemic context.

Despite notable progress, fragmented data sources, limited use of available information, and ongoing data quality issues continue to constrain the effective use of data for evidence-based decision-making, especially at the subnational level.

To address these challenges, the MOHW, in collaboration with PAHO and Palladium International LLC, has launched a data-use strategy under the U.S.-funded Data for Implementation (Data.FI) project and Canada’s CanGIVE initiative. The strategy aims to strengthen healthcare workers’ capacities, thereby improving the use, quality, and analysis of vaccination data in order to plan interventions that increase coverage at the local level.

Supported by an action plan for accountability, a facilitation guidance to frame discussions, and visualisation tools that make trends and results easy to interpret, the data use strategy fosters collaboration, structured decision-making, and continuous learning in an iterative way.

It also operationalises a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for the national Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Developed through collaboration among key stakeholders, including the MOHW, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, and Data.FI, the M&E framework establishes a robust monitoring system to assess data quality, evaluate programme efficiency, and promote data-driven interventions nationwide. By assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of immunization programme efforts through a structured process, the government aims to achieve over 95 percent coverage for all nationally recommended childhood vaccines for children from 0 to 5 years old.

At the heart of this transformation are newly established “situation rooms,” dedicated spaces within health facilities where teams meet every two weeks to review immunisation data and develop joint action plans. “The situation room has given us a dedicated space to sit together, look at the data in real time, and have honest conversations about what is working and what isn’t,” explains Oneil Gayle, an epidemiological clerk in the Clarendon Health Department.

These rooms are now operational at the Montego Bay Type V Health Centre and Mocho Health Centre in Clarendon, the first pilot sites for Jamaica’s EPI data use strategy and two of the 18 health facilities piloting the upcoming EIR.

In countries where data quality is a challenge and there are different levels of expertise in data analysis among public health officials, the situation rooms are designed to foster a culture of accountability and learning. Moreover, this approach has been successfully applied in multiple national contexts—through the Data.FI project over 50 situation rooms have been established in 7 countries, leading to measurable improvements across a range of health outcomes.

In Jamaica, health professionals, data analysts, and decision-makers use tailored visualisation tools to identify performance gaps, explore root causes, and implement targeted interventions. A standardised action plan template ensures that insights from data reviews translate into measurable improvements. And an emphasis on regular monitoring and evaluation builds in positive feedback loops to sustain institutional progress. “Since we started the situation room sessions, we are acting on the data much faster,” explains Anita Dwyer-Barret, a Public Health Nurse at the Mocho Health Centre.

“Instead of waiting for monthly reports, we can see gaps immediately (for example, which communities are behind on vaccines) and plan outreach activities right away.”

The data use strategy builds on a foundation laid during a workshop in November 2024, where about 30 Jamaican health professionals received hands-on training in data analysis, visualisation, and action planning. In early July 2025, a technical visit was conducted at the pilot sites of Montego Bay and Mocho to launch the implementation of the methodology.

During this visit, the Vaccinations Administered indicator was analysed and actions were defined to address gaps. A follow-up visit in August 2025 discussed lessons learned during the first month of implementation and assessed results achieved. Currently, these lessons are being used to consolidate the pilot experience, scale it up to other regions, and ensure continued technical support from the MOHW, in coordination with Palladium and PAHO.

The holistic approach taken—combining technology, training, and governance—reflects a broader effort to modernise Jamaica’s EPI. It also aligns with global best practices for digital health transformation, emphasising that data must be used not just for reporting, but for real-time problem-solving and equitable service delivery.

Early feedback from pilot sites indicates increased engagement among health workers and a stronger sense of ownership over immunisation outcomes. And with only one month of implementation results have already been observed in the improvement of service delivery and data quality. For example, at the Mocho site, by the end of July 2025 the team administered over 4 times the number of first-dose HPV vaccines compared to the previous 14 months—this was thanks to systematic data review identifying gaps and allowing health workers to develop intervention strategies.

As Jamaica prepares for a national rollout of the EIR, the lessons learned from the situation room pilots are expected to guide future implementations and inspire similar efforts across the Caribbean.

“What we are learning in Mocho can easily be scaled up,” says Dr. Yasine Hanna, Acting Medical Officer (Health), Clarendon Health Department; Regional Noncommunicable Disease and Family Planning Coordinator, Southern Regional Health Authority. “Every parish could benefit from having a situation room… because when health workers feel ownership of the data, they are more motivated to improve coverage. This can strengthen not just immunisation, but other health services across Jamaica.”

Jamaica’s data-use strategy goes beyond a simple technical upgrade—it has already produced a shift in mindset. By learning to turn data into action, Jamaica is not only making steady steps to improving immunisation coverage.

It is, in fact, laying the groundwork for a more resilient and responsive health system for all its citizens.