Mothers voice their opinion on immunization services.

A survey of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in eastern Zimbabwe showed a low valid immunization coverage by one year of age. While health personnel originally thought traditional and religious beliefs were to blame, the survey indicated the problem lay in the poor quality of EPI services. Focus group discussions with mothers confirmed this. Mothers were well informed, highly motivated and had many suggestions on how services could be improved, but were rarely given the opportunity to discuss them with health workers.