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In this issue:
→PtD Board meeting
→PtD Chairperson: Call for
nominations
→Country case study series
→News from our Board member
organizations
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→Africa Conference on Healthcare
Delivery
→Sudan Country Partnership
outputs now online
→This week on LinkedIn
→Upcoming events
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PtD Board meeting in Copenhagen
People that Deliver's (PtD) most recent Board meeting took place at UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen, prior to the start of the Health and Humanitarian Logistics (HHL) conference. The face to face Board meeting provided the opportunity to welcome PtD's four new Board member organizations in person. Read more about our four new Board members in our May edition of our newsletter here. Read more about the HHL conference here.
We are looking for a new Chairperson
Do you have the skills, passion, and drive to lead the People that Deliver?
We are looking for a new Chairperson to lead our Board, a strategic thought partner who has the skills and experience to provide leadership and guidance during a time of change and sustainable growth. Together, we want to continue to build on the excellent foundations and developments made since our establishment in 2011.
We are seeking a Chairperson who will serve a term of two years (renewable) and who will:
• Together with the PtD Secretariat, manage and run the Board, propel it to be as effective as it can be, take its responsibilities seriously, and actively seek new resources for PtD.
• Hold the Board accountable for PtD’s mission and vision, and ensure that board members fulfill their duties and responsibilities for effective governance of PtD.
• Facilitate Board meetings, encourage frank discussion, and bring the group to consensus-based, action-oriented decisions.
• Take the lead on fine-tuning the PtD strategy and driving the PtD Secretariat and partners to deliver it.
• Represent PtD at key events and meetings, to bring in partnerships and the support needed to scale up for country-based change.
Download and submit the nomination form to the PtD Secretariat: info@peoplethatdeliver.org
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Country case study series
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These case studies are the first of a series commissioned by UNICEF Supply Division to showcase success stories in Human Resources for Supply Chain Management.
Task shifting in Health Supply Chain Management: A Malawi Case Study
By Stanley Chindove
A vacancy analysis conducted in 2008 estimated the vacancy rate among pharmacy personnel in Malawi’s public health system to be 74% per cent. In 2011 the Ministry of Health reported only five pharmacists working in the country’s public health system and that only 24% per cent of the established positions for pharmacy technicians were filled (Ministry of Health Malawi, 2011).
In order to tackle the shortage of pharmacy personnel, the Malawi Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Village Reach, the Barr Foundation, the Malawi College of Health Sciences, and the University of Washington Global Medicines Program launched a two-year pharmacy assistant training program in 2012.
This program seeks to train and deploy at least 150 pharmacy assistants to improve health system capacity through increasing the human resources needed to improve for better supply chain performance and medicines management in rural communities in 18 districts from three regions of the country.
The programme has a strong emphasis on supply chain management and hands-on, experiential learning, including two 20-week practicums supervised by a pharmacy technician.
Progress and results
Data from a baseline assessment and monthly data collection on stock-outs, reporting timelines and accuracy, dispensing quality and dispensary and storeroom conditions conducted at health facilities prior to and during pharmacy assistant practicum placements indicate great improvements at health centres over time. The ongoing quasi-experimental study will validate the impact of the pharmacy assistant training programme on access to medicines and health outcomes.
All 50 students from the first intake of the pharmacy assistant programme graduated in
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2015 and were deployed to health centres across the country. A second cohort of 86 students graduated in 2016, and the Ministry of Health is in the process of finalizing their deployment to rural health centres. A total of about 130 students are expected to graduate from the programme in 2017 and 2018.
Deployment of pharmacy assistants at health centres has decreased clinical staff time spent on logistics tasks by 81 per cent from 48 hours to 9 hours (VillageReach, 2017). This has been a huge relief for many health workers who were managing health commodities stores/dispensaries on an ad hoc basis.
Next Steps
VillageReach Malawi is currently implementing a pilot study on pharmacy assistant mentorship in three districts. During the mentorship program, pharmacy assistants provide mentorship to three health facilities staffed by drug store clerks.
Source: This article has been adapted from the original case study which is downloadable from the PtD website
here.
Pictured above: Pharmacy assistant, Esther Kantwera
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Training strategy for the organization of a unified pharmaceutical system in the Dominican Republic
By Edgar Barillas
In 2009 the Dominican Republic (DR) Ministry of Health (MoH) requested technical assistance from USAID to contribute to the solution of chronic stock-outs of antiretrovirals (ARVs). A study conducted by MSH/SIAPS demonstrated systemic problems in the public supply chain system. An integrated pharmaceutical and commodity supply management system known as SUGEMI was proposed as the solution.
Under SUGEMI, the national and regional pharmaceutical units would oversee the national estimation of needs and programming for procurement exercises; a single system for periodic requisition and dispatch to health facilities, and a unified information and monitoring system for decision making. Once implemented, SUGEMI would improve the efficiency of the public supply chain and the availability of ARVs, among other medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases.
The implementation and sustainability of such a challenging enterprise demanded innovative training strategies. The long-term SUGEMI training strategy was to “learn while you implement.” Three sequential approaches were used:
1. Participatory development of standard operating procedures: Fourteen standard operating procedures (SOPs) and manuals were developed from 2010 to 2013.
Pictured below: Pharmacists checking medicine prescriptions at Monte Plata Provincial Hospital.
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2. Training of trainers for immediate implementation: The MoH staff who participated in developing the SOPs and manuals were trained in the rollout of SUGEMI to nine Regional Health Services (RHSs) and more than a thousand primary health care facilities.
3. Certified pharmaceutical management (PM) courses using a blended on-site/off-site methodology. The participatory development of SOPs and the training carried out by MoH trainers led to the full implementation of SUGEMI in all nine RHSs and 1,347 health facilities by the end of 2011. The HIV/AIDS and TB programmes were fully integrated in a unified system by mid-2012.
Although the MoH personnel acquired the abilities to run day-to-day SUGEMI operations, they lacked in-depth knowledge of PM theories and practices. These skills were needed for the analysis of PM data, the development of technical reports, and the integration of laboratory reagents, the public hospital network and additional disease control programmes to SUGEMI. As a result, two certified courses backed by university diplomas were designed and implemented: one on Supply Chain Management and the other on Rational Use of Medicines.
By the end of 2016, the SUGEMI supply system was fully implemented in all DR primary health facilities and RHSs, along transformations in other pharmaceutical and commodities management components. A study conducted in 2015 showed a correlation between the implementation of SUGEMI and an increase in the availability of medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases (from 72% in 2011 to 92% in 2015). In addition, interviews of 122 MoH staff members revealed a significant decrease in time spent on paperwork management.
The key strategy for SUGEMI implementation was the three-phase training. By March 2017, all MoH personnel were trained on the implementation of SUGEMI procedures. Staff who completed certified courses in Supply Chain Management and Rational Use of Medicines supported specialized PM operations.
Source: This article has been adapted from the original case study which is downloadable from the PtD website
here.
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News from our Board member organizations
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Transaid launches professional driver training in Uganda
Transaid has commenced a major project to build the capacity of heavy goods vehicle and passenger service vehicle driver training in Uganda in cooperation with industry partners. This enhanced capacity will increase employment of Ugandan drivers in the transport sector and improve road safety in Uganda.
The project’s primary role is to ensure Ugandan drivers are in a position to meet the needs of the oil, gas and related sectors, in the face of rising demand for qualified commercial drivers in the coming years. In a country which currently suffers from one of Africa’s highest road traffic incident rates, claiming approximately 2,937* lives each year, this project will also contribute to improving road safety by enhancing driver training capacity.
The first 100 Ugandan nationals who register will get a 50% reduction on heavy goods vehicle training. To register, call
+256702 745 745. For further information on Transaid, visit their website here.
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Africa Conference on Healthcare Delivery
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The inaugural Africa Conference on Healthcare Delivery was held June 12-14, 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria. The theme of the conference was “Advancing Effectiveness and Efficiency in Health Supply Chain Management for Improved Health Outcomes in the African Region”.
The conference provided an in-depth analysis of issues and strategies for improving effectiveness and efficiency of health supply chains in the African region. The keynote address was given by Martin Ellis, Head of Supply Chain at the Global Fund. Martin highlighted the need to offer more support to countries that lack national supply chain capabilities and capacity. Two issues must be addressed, to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of Ministries of Health and national supply chain operations, and to ensure that there is an open and free market for the private sector.
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The sub-themes of the conference were: new models of healthcare delivery, healthcare supply chains with long term sustainability, primary healthcare supply chain strengthening and revitalization, and antimicrobial resistance, pharmacovigilance and the role of the supply chain.
The conference was a great success and participants agreed that it should become an annual event to articulate supply chain issues in Africa. Please find the full conference report written by one of our Board members here.
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Sudan Country Partnership Program outputs
Now Online
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The outputs produced from the PtD/NMSF Country Partnership collaboration are now online!
Download them via our Country Resources page here.
Should you wish to learn more about the PtD Sudan Country Partnership Program, take a look at our Stories from our Community of Practice.
We welcome your feedback, send us an email to info@peoplethatdeliver.org
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This week PtD posted the preliminary results of an ongoing study by the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics in Nigeria.
Our daily updates on LinkedIn depicted the challenges facing supply chains and provided sugestions on how to tackle them.
Visit our LinkedIn page to view the full series of posts and engage in the discussion: goo.gl/hy5zx2
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General membership meeting of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC)
October 23 – 27, 2017
Join the RHSC for their 18th General Membership Meeting in Dakar, Senegal from October 23 – 27.
The meeting will focus on the improvement of supply chains, making quality products more available, and ensuring policies are more conducive to women’s reproductive health needs.
Register and receive the agenda here: https://www.rhsupplies.org/news-events/general-membership-meetings/eighteenth-meeting-dakar-2017
Fourth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
November 13 – 17, 2017
The Fourth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health - Building the health workforce of the future - will be held in Dublin, Ireland, from November 13 - 17. Visit the Forum website at www.hrhforum2017.ie for information on the program, schedule, key deadlines and how to register.
10th Global Health Supply Chain Summit (GHSCS)
November 15-17, 2017
Save the date for the 10th Global Health Supply Chain Summit (GHSCS) taking place from November 15 – 17. This year’s conference theme is: Linking to the future of Global Health Supply Chain Management through enhancing the role of the private sector, technology enablement, and workforce development and empowerment.
For further information on registration and the conference agenda, visit: http://ghscs.com/
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Or connect with us and become a PtD member:
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