EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul

Programme Overview

Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) cold chains are vital to primary healthcare delivery and epidemic response in fragile operating contexts.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ This four-day intensive programme equips public health professionals with advanced operational skills to secure temperature-sensitive vaccine supplies from central hubs down to peripheral health posts. Held in Istanbul, Turkey, the course focuses on practical interventions to prevent vaccine wastage, navigate challenging energy environments, and maintain regulatory compliance across remote and resource-constrained health systems.

Participants examine critical aspects of the vaccine distribution pipeline, focusing on modern temperature monitoring technologies, inventory accountability, and preventive maintenance protocols for solar direct-drive (SDD) refrigeration units. The curriculum addresses the complex logistical barriers associated with hard-to-reach populations, multi-antigen stock management, and reverse logistics for biomedical waste. Delegates analyse standard operating procedures that comply with World Health Organization Performance, Quality and Safety (WHO PQS) guidelines to safeguard vaccine potency.

Through case analyses and operational scenario exercises, participants develop district-level microplans and emergency contingency procedures. The training bridges the gap between infrastructure maintenance and frontline clinical delivery, ensuring immunisation teams can coordinate outreach sessions, track consumption rates accurately, and respond effectively to sudden equipment failures. Delegates leave with practical toolkits tailored to institutional frameworks, multi-donor health portfolios, and challenging field conditions typical of developing health jurisdictions.

Strengthening immunisation systems and cold chain resilience is vital as health authorities implement major donor-funded operations, including the South Sudan COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project (US$63.9m) and its Additional Financings (US$200m and US$70m).⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ Scaling up routine multi-antigen delivery and rapid epidemic response requires project implementation units, central medical stores, and county health departments to eliminate cold chain gaps, standardise climate-appropriate technologies, and maintain uninterrupted clinical vaccination services in remote operational environments.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Istanbul, Turkey, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• WHO PQS equipment specifications and performance verification for fragile settings
• Thermodynamic principles, refrigerant selection, and environmental compliance standards
• Solar direct-drive (SDD) refrigeration: installation, diagnostics, and routine servicing
• Energy audits, battery-free cold storage architecture, and off-grid site assessments
• Sizing spare parts inventories and planning preventive maintenance schedules
• Digital data loggers, 30-day temperature recorders, and remote electronic tracking tools
• Standard operating procedures for cold-chain excursions, freeze alarms, and heat spikes
• Coolant-pack conditioning, transport box preparation, and verified cold life preservation
• Infrastructure planning and prioritisation
• Project appraisal and business cases
• Financing options and public-private partnerships
• Procurement and contracting for works

It is designed for national and subnational EPI managers and coordinators, public health biomedical engineers and cold-chain technicians, district and county immunisation field supervisors and others who want practical, current skills in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships.

The Growing Importance of EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul

Infrastructure and urban services shape growth, health and opportunity. Projects are large, complex and long-lived, and weaknesses in planning, financing or delivery are costly to fix later.

Governments increasingly combine public investment, partnerships with the private sector and new technologies. Teams who can plan, appraise, procure and manage these investments deliver better assets and services.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Plan and prioritise infrastructure investments
• Appraise projects and prepare business cases
• Choose financing and delivery models
• Supervise works for time, cost and quality
• Manage assets over their life

Strong infrastructure, urban development and partnerships systems help organisations:

• Select the right investments
• Deliver projects on time and on budget
• Attract financing and partners
• Keep assets working for longer

This EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training?

This programme is designed for:

• National and subnational EPI managers and coordinators
• Public health biomedical engineers and cold-chain technicians
• District and county immunisation field supervisors
• Project Implementation Unit (PIU) health and logistics specialists
• Central medical store and regional vaccine depot managers
• Public health logistics officers in donor-funded health operations
• Maternal and child health clinical coordinators overseeing field outreach
• Monitoring and evaluation officers tracking immunisation cold-chain metrics
• Infrastructure and urban planners
• Engineers and technical managers
• Project and programme managers
• PPP unit staff

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate cold-chain equipment requirements against WHO PQS standards and national health system constraints
• Formulate preventive and corrective maintenance workflows for solar direct-drive (SDD) refrigerators and off-grid power systems
• Deploy continuous temperature monitoring systems, remote data loggers, and digital stock verification protocols
• Design district-level microplans and route logistics for routine vaccination and supplementary immunisation activities
• Establish emergency contingency procedures to mitigate temperature excursions and physical cold-chain disruptions
• Implement clinical safety, infection prevention, and biomedical waste disposal protocols during remote outreach sessions
• Align immunisation operational plans with World Bank and United Nations procurement and environmental and social frameworks
• Explain how infrastructure is planned and prioritised
• Appraise projects and prepare a business case
• Compare financing and delivery models, including partnerships

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

The programme runs over 4 days. Each day combines expert input, practical work and a closing workshop or case study:

• First Day: Cold-Chain Infrastructure Standards and Solar Direct-Drive Systems
• Second Day: Continuous Temperature Monitoring, Cold Life, and Quality Assurance
• Third Day: Supply Chain Continuity, Stock Management, and Crisis Contingency
• Fourth Day: Clinical Outreach Logistics, District Microplanning, and Campaign Delivery

Full day-by-day contents

First Day | Cold-Chain Infrastructure Standards and Solar Direct-Drive Systems

• WHO PQS equipment specifications and performance verification for fragile settings
• Thermodynamic principles, refrigerant selection, and environmental compliance standards
• Solar direct-drive (SDD) refrigeration: installation, diagnostics, and routine servicing
• Energy audits, battery-free cold storage architecture, and off-grid site assessments
• Sizing spare parts inventories and planning preventive maintenance schedules

Workshop: Cold-Chain Infrastructure Standards and Solar Direct-Drive Systems: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Second Day | Continuous Temperature Monitoring, Cold Life, and Quality Assurance

• Digital data loggers, 30-day temperature recorders, and remote electronic tracking tools
• Standard operating procedures for cold-chain excursions, freeze alarms, and heat spikes
• Coolant-pack conditioning, transport box preparation, and verified cold life preservation
• Vaccine vial monitor (VVM) protocols and systematic multi-antigen shake testing
• Depot-level quality audits, asset mapping, and infrastructure gap assessments

Workshop: Continuous Temperature Monitoring, Cold Life, and Quality Assurance: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Third Day | Supply Chain Continuity, Stock Management, and Crisis Contingency

• Vaccine inventory forecasting, buffer stock management, and batch-traceability workflows
• Establishing secondary storage nodes and passive transport pipelines for deep field areas
• Contingency planning for grid collapse, fuel shortages, and extreme climatic events
• Reverse logistics for expired vaccines, sharp wastes, and contaminated biological materials
• Integrating cold-chain asset data into national health logistics management information systems

Case Study: Supply Chain Continuity, Stock Management, and Crisis Contingency in Practice

Participants analyse a realistic case, compare the choices made with good practice and draw lessons they can use in their own setting.

Fourth Day | Clinical Outreach Logistics, District Microplanning, and Campaign Delivery

• Developing district and county immunisation microplans for routine and campaign rollouts
• Mobile team deployment, transport route optimisation, and hard-to-reach target tracking
• Clinical safety checkpoints, reconstituting freeze-dried vaccines, and injection protocols
• Operational budgeting and resource tracking under donor-funded emergency project modalities
• Presentation and peer appraisal of participant emergency action and maintenance plans

Capstone Exercise: EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Action Plan for Your Institution

Participants bring the week together in an action plan for their own institution, with priorities, owners and first steps, and present it for feedback from peers and facilitators.

EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training Methodology

The training combines technical lectures, practical engineering demonstrations, and scenario-based operational simulations.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ Participants analyse real-world cold-chain breakdown cases and work collaboratively on district-level planning exercises. Structured group clinics allow delegates to review actual equipment specifications and draft standard operating procedures directly applicable to donor-funded health operations.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training, participants will be able to:

• Maintain and troubleshoot solar direct-drive and passive cold-chain systems using standardised technical procedures
• Manage continuous digital temperature monitoring regimes to prevent loss of vaccine potency across supply corridors
• Draft comprehensive district-level immunisation campaign operational microplans aligned with project performance targets
• Execute rapid contingency responses to cold-chain equipment breakdowns and power outages in remote operational settings
• Supervise safe clinical vaccine reconstitution, injection protocols, and biomedical waste management in outreach clinics
• Apply multilateral donor compliance and reporting guidelines to vaccine cold-chain procurement and asset maintenance
• Plan and prioritise infrastructure investments
• Appraise projects and prepare business cases

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Investment planning
• Project appraisal
• Partnership management
• Works supervision
• Asset management

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Business cases
• Risk allocation
• Contract management
• Maintenance planning
• Service monitoring

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply infrastructure, urban development and partnerships within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on infrastructure, urban development and partnerships. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to infrastructure, urban development and partnerships that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Istanbul, Turkey brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how infrastructure, urban development and partnerships is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Turkey

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Istanbul, Turkey by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Readiness Assessment
• EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul Training Manual
• Project Appraisal Template
• PPP Risk Allocation Matrix
• Works Supervision Checklist
• Asset Management Plan Template
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Business Case Review Checklist
• Maintenance Planning Template
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions plan and prioritise infrastructure investments?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Cold-Chain Infrastructure Standards and Solar Direct-Drive Systems), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions appraise projects and prepare business cases?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Continuous Temperature Monitoring, Cold Life, and Quality Assurance), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions choose financing and delivery models?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Supply Chain Continuity, Stock Management, and Crisis Contingency), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions supervise works for time, cost and quality?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Clinical Outreach Logistics, District Microplanning, and Campaign Delivery), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions manage assets over their life?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Cold-Chain Infrastructure Standards and Solar Direct-Drive Systems), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the EPI Cold Chain Infrastructure Management and Clinical Vaccination Systems in Istanbul programme take place?

It runs from 2 Aug 2027 to 5 Aug 2027, in Istanbul, Turkey. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for national and subnational EPI managers and coordinators, public health biomedical engineers and cold-chain technicians, district and county immunisation field supervisors, project Implementation Unit (PIU) health and logistics specialists, and others who want practical skills in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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