Improving Appropriate Medicine Use Through Hospital Medicines and Therapeutics Committees

Improving Appropriate Medicine Use Through Hospital Medicines and Therapeutics Committees

Access to appropriate, high-quality medicines where and when they are needed is the overall goal of a well functioning supply chain and responsive health system. Based on the study findings by the Uganda Health Supply Chain (UHSC) project, a pilot intervention was designed to improve the functionality of seven selected Medicine and Therapeutic Committees (MTCs), improvement initiatives at the hospital level in the area of therapeutics, in regional referral hospitals in Moroto, Lira, Naguru, Soroti, Arua, Mbarara, and Masaka. The hospitals were organized into two cohorts that started at different times from May 2017 to October 2018. The success of the study and the development of a locally adapted MTC manual currently provides a strong foundation for hospital management, Ministry of Health officials, and implementing partners to support existing MTCs and to roll out the intervention across the country, particularly in the context of the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Strengthening MTCs throughout Uganda has allowed facilities to implement effective quality improvement interventions, leading to appropriate medicine use.