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Building Blocks of Progress: Case Studies in Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening

It takes a resilient pharmaceutical system working within and in support of a functioning health system to ensure access to products and services for the people who need them. Pharmaceutical system strengthening requires a coordinated response from policy makers to the dispenser at the local drug shop.

Nigeria Global Fund Malaria Grant Fact Sheet

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, now exceeding 200 million, and is home to 25% of the world’s malaria burden. As a sub-recipient to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a partner to the government of Nigeria in combating malaria.

Digital Health Technologies to Support Access to Medicines and Pharmaceutical Services in the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals

The objective of this study was to describe the conceptual and implementation approach of selected digital health technologies that were tailored in various resource-constrained countries. Drawing from our multi-year institutional experience in more than 20 high disease-burden countries that aspire to meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, we screened internal project documentation on various digital health tools that provide clarity in the conceptual and implementation approach. Taking into account geographic diversity, we provide a descriptive review of five selected case studies from Bangladesh (Asia), Mali (Francophone Africa), Uganda (East Africa), Mozambique (Lusophone Africa), and Namibia (Southern Africa). A key lesson learned is to harness and build on existing governance structures. The use of data for decision-making at all levels needs to be cultivated and sustained through multi-stakeholder partnerships. The next phase of information management development is to build systems for triangulation of data from patients, commodities, geomapping, and other parameters of the pharmaceutical system. A well-defined research agenda must be developed to determine the effectiveness of the country- and regional-level dashboards as an early warning system to mitigate stock-outs and wastage of medicines and commodities.

Integrating Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening in the Current Global Health Scenario: Three "Uncomfortable Truths"

The response to emergency public health challenges such as HIV, TB, and malaria has been successful in mobilising resources and scaling up treatment for communicable diseases. However, many of the remaining challenges in improving access to and appropriate use of medicines and services require pharmaceutical systems strengthening. Incorporating pharmaceutical systems strengthening into global health programmes requires recognition of a few ‘truths’. Systems strengthening is a lengthy and resource-intensive process that requires sustained engagement, which may not align with the short time frame for achieving targets in vertical-oriented programmes. Further, there is a lack of clarity on what key metrics associated with population and patient level outcomes should be tracked for systems strengthening interventions. This can hinder advocacy and communication with decision makers regarding health systems investments. Moving forward, it is important to find ways to balance the inherent tensions between the short-term focus on the efficiency of vertical programmes and broader, longer-term health and development objectives. Global health programme design should also shift away from a narrow view of medicines primarily as an input commodity to a more comprehensive view that recognizes the various structures and processes and their interactions within the broader health system that help ensure access to and appropriate use of medicines and related services.

SafeMed Activity News Digest - June 2020

Please download to read the USAID Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed) Activity in Ukraine News Digest, June 2020 edition.

Using SPARS to Strengthen District Capacity to Manage and Utilize Health Commodities

Using an effective intervention and district-led approach to strengthen medicine management in government and private not-for-profit health facilities, Supervision, Performance Assessment, and Recognition Strategy (SPARS), the Uganda Health Supply Chain (UHSC) project strengthened the capacity of district health workers to effectively manage and utilize health commodities and promoted local owners

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.

Scale Up of RxSolution eLMIS in Uganda

To ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential medicines and effectively monitor store management in health facilities, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) chose RxSolution, an integrated pharmaceutical management software.

Improving Equitable Access to Essential Medicines and Health Supplies Using a Needs-based Allocation Formula

A good health system ensures equitable and consistent access to quality essential medicines and health supplies. Health equity is prioritized in Uganda’s National Medicines Policy but unequal resource allocation has resulted in some health facilities having insufficient resources to meet local health needs.

Patient and Health System Delay among TB Patients in Ethiopia: Nationwide Mixed Method Cross-Sectional Study

This is a mixed method cross-sectional study conducted in seven regions and two city administrations. We used multistage cluster sampling to randomly select 40 health centers and interviewed 21 TB patients per health center. We also conducted qualitative interviews to understand the reasons for delay. Of the total 844 TB patients enrolled, the median (IQR) patient, diagnostic and treatment initiation delays were 21 (10–45), 4 (2–10) and 2 (1–3) days respectively. The median (IQR) of total delay was 33 (19–67) days; 72.3% (595) of the patients started treatment after 21 days of the onset of the first symptom. TB patients’ delay in seeking care remains a challenge due to limited community interventions, cost of seeking care, prolonged diagnostics and treatment initiation. Therefore, targeted community awareness creation, cost reduction strategies and improving diagnostic capacity are vital to reduce delay in seeking TB care in Ethiopia.

Stigma Matters in Ending Tuberculosis: Nationwide Survey of Stigma in Ethiopia

Despite efforts to find and treat TB, about four million cases were missed globally in 2017. Barriers to accessing health care, inadequate health-seeking behavior of the community, poor socioeconomic conditions, and stigma are major determinants of this gap. This is the first national stigma survey conducted in seven regions and two city administrations of Ethiopia. A total of 3463 participants (844 TB patients, 836 from their families, and 1783 from the general population) were enrolled for the study. More than a third of Ethiopians have high scores for TB-related stigma, which were associated with educational status, poverty, and lack of awareness about TB. Stigma matters in TB prevention, care, and treatment and warrants stigma reduction interventions.

High Urban Tuberculosis Case Notification Rates Can Be Misleading: Evidence from an Urban Setting in Ethiopia

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem. Its magnitude the required interventions are affected by changes in socioeconomic condition and urbanization. Ethiopia is among the thirty high burden countries with increasing effort to end TB.

Download the 2018 IRS Form 990

Return of Organization Exempt from Income TaxUnder section 501(c), 527, or 4947(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code

SafeMed Activity News Digest - July 2020

Please download to read the USAID Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed) Activity in Ukraine News Digest, July 2020 edition.

Implementing a Web-based Pharmaceutical Information Portal in Uganda

Public pharmaceutical-sector managers in Uganda previously relied on information gathered from multiple sources to plan for and manage health supplies at the national, district, and facility levels. Not easily accessible, these sources required extensive effort to compile factual, real-time evidence for decision making.

Management Sciences For Health and the World Health Organization: A historic partnership improving health worldwide

The US has been a global health leader for decades, developing and funding programs for polio eradication, child nutrition, vaccines, HIV and AIDS, malaria, and TB that have saved millions of lives and contributed to increased security and prosperity. Like hundreds of global health development organizations, MSH has partnered with the WHO in ways that are critical to our mission.

MSH's COVID-19 Solutions: Pandemic Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

The spread of COVID-19 has disrupted lives, communities, and economies worldwide.

MTaPS Tuberculosis Fact Sheet

In recent years, significant donor and global TB community support has led to encouraging developments, giving low- and middle-income countries better diagnostic, prevention, and treatment tools to increase case detection and improve outcomes.

MTaPS General Information Fact Sheet

Funded by USAID and led by Management Sciences for Health and its consortium of partners, the goal of the five-year Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) program (2018–2023) is to help low- and middle- income countries strengthen their pharmaceutical systems to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable ess

MTaPS Improving the Quality of Pharmaceutical Services to Enhance Treatment Outcomes Fact Sheet

USAID MTaPS applies systems-based approaches using proven tools, interventions, and quality improvement methodologies to strengthen in-country capacity and enhance patient-centered pharmaceutical care. In doing so, MTaPS embeds the culture of quality of care emphasized by the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Health Organization, and other global and national bodies.

MTaPS Governance Fact Sheet

Attaining the goals of universal health coverage requires clear policies, robust legislation, and sound management practices supported by good governance. This premise is relevant to pharmaceutical systems, which are particularly vulnerable to corruption due to the economic value of medicines and the multiplicity of stakeholders.

MTaPS Preventing Maternal and Child Deaths Fact Sheet

Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals’ maternal, newborn, and child mortality targets will require a systems-strengthening approach; however, a large proportion of deaths could be avoided if women and children had access to quality medicines and supplies and skilled health care providers.

MTaPS Pharmaceutical Financing Fact Sheet

USAID supports strategies to improve pharmaceutical-sector financing, including resource mobilization, allocation, and use.

MTaPS Malaria Fact Sheet

WHO’s Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for Malaria 2016–2030 aims to reduce global malaria incidence and deaths by at least 90% by 2030. To achieve these targets, high malaria burden countries need strong national pharmaceutical systems that can support the effective implementation of key malaria interventions.

MTaPS Supporting the Global Health Security Agenda Fact Sheet

USAID MTaPS supports the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), whose purpose is to help build countries’ capacity to protect themselves from infectious disease threats and to raise global health security as a national and worldwide priority. The GHSA has 11 action packages, including one to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).