Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening in the Public Sector

SPS is working with the Ministry of Health and other government stakeholders to achieve the following objectives in strengthening pharmaceutical management in the public sector—
SPS collaborates with government partners at national, regional, and facility levels to address weaknesses in all areas of pharmaceutical management that support the Ministry of Health’s priority health programs.

One objective is to implement a “pull” distribution system, where facilities place orders based on their own needs rather than receive predetermined quantities of commodities. In addition, we will work at the district and facility levels to establish supportive supervision for managing the receipt, storage, and use of medicines and supplies.

Our support includes building human and institutional resource capacity and pharmaceutical information management systems to institute good pharmaceutical procurement practices, minimize stock-outs, and increase access to essential medicines at all levels of health care.


HIV/AIDS

With funds from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the SPS Program’s objectives include—

• Expanding access to antiretroviral medicines and other essential medicines by providing technical leadership and assistance in pharmaceutical management.
• Increasing the capacity of Kenya’s Ministry of Health to identify, prioritize, and address pharmaceutical management issues in HIV/AIDS programs to improve access to quality pharmaceuticals and laboratory services.
  

Kenya introduced antiretroviral therapy in five public facilities in 2002. RPM Plus began broadly supporting efforts that strengthened pharmaceutical management systems, including national systems for selecting, quantifying, and procuring antiretroviral medicines, while building the human resource capacity within facilities to manage inventory effectively, dispense treatment appropriately, and use medicines rationally.

SPS continues to work with government, donor, and private sector stakeholders to strengthen the commodity management system with an aim of improving access to and use of health commodities for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.


Malaria

The SPS Program’s primary objective in supporting Kenya’s Division of Malaria Control (DOMC) is to help the DOMC ensure the early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria using effective medicines.

Since 2004, RPM Plus has been helping the DOMC make the transition to a new treatment policy that recommends artemisinin-based combination therapy for first-line malaria treatment.

More recently, we have worked with the DOMC to establish robust, but practical, monitoring and evaluation systems that will ensure the limited resources it invests in malaria prevention and treatment are used in the most cost-efficient, effective, and equitable way. The new information system makes it easier for DOMC managers to meet international reporting requirements for the various global health initiatives, such as Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Roll Back Malaria.

The SPS malaria team continues to build on the successes and lessons learned from the RPM Plus Program to help the DOMC in its strategic planning and decision-making.

Kenya in the News

• SPS and LMI Provide Technical Assistance to KEMSA [PDF-271KB]