Management Sciences for Health, Cameroon Government Partner with USAID to Strengthen Health Supply Chains and Pharmaceutical Systems

Arlington, VA—September 17, 2024—Management Sciences for Health (MSH) today announced it will partner with the Government of Cameroon and USAID to ensure the consistent availability of high-quality, safe, and effective medicines.

Under USAID’s NextGen Efficient Supply Chains Advance Patient Engagement (ESCAPE), with funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and the Global Health Security Agenda, MSH will work with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board, Empower School of Health, Jembi, and Iris Group to strengthen Cameroon’s supply chain and pharmaceutical management system by promoting transparency, accountability, and effective governance; increasing stock of critical medicines and medical products; strengthening capacity of the health workforce and local institutions; building efficient information and data systems to drive decision-making; and establishing public-private coalitions to contain antimicrobial resistance.

“We are delighted to contribute our technical knowledge and global experience as we continue working with our Cameroonian colleagues to make sure people have access to safe, affordable medicines,” said Marian W. Wentworth, MSH President and CEO. “Supply chains and pharmaceutical systems are absolutely critical to this effort. Without them, medicines and medical supplies will not reach the people who need them, when they need them.”

The five-year activity will empower health workers through training and professional development programs, improve warehouse and distribution processes, and leverage digital technology to enhance data visibility, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making and management.

This activity is part of USAID’s NextGen Comprehensive Technical Assistance for Health Supply Chain and Pharmaceutical Management program – an effort to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, affordable medicines and medical supplies under USAID’s decades-long Next Generation Global Health Supply Chain Suite of Programs.

Since 2012, MSH has worked in Cameroon to strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain system, support a policy framework, and build human resource capacity to improve the availability of quality medicines. We have worked to support health system performance with a focus on effective prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, TB, and malaria, as well as increasing demand for and supporting the scale-up of evidence-based family planning and reproductive health services. In support of Cameroon’s National Health Strategy, we are building the capacity of local stakeholders to prevent and control communicable diseases, promote antimicrobial stewardship in both the human and animal health sectors, and advance multisectoral coordination to combat antimicrobial resistance. Our programs have spearheaded efforts to enhance infection prevention and control practices, promote robust pharmacovigilance systems, and help the country achieve key milestones in its journey toward universal health coverage.

More information about MSH’s work in Cameroon is available here.