Experience in this Country
- Rwanda HIV/PBF Project 2005–2007
- Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS) 1999–2009
- Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus Program 2000–2008
- Advance Africa 2002–2004
- IMPACT 1998–2002
- Norplant Cost Study 1993
- Rwanda Maternal Child Health & Family Planning II 1990–1994
- Technologies for Primary Health Care (PRITECH) 1983–1993
Rwanda HIV/PBF Project
2005–2007Rwanda's HIV/PBF (Performance-Based Financing) Project is designed to increase the delivery of specific HIV & AIDS and primary health care services through an innovative financing project that provides monetary and other incentives through a national output incentive payment program. The approach is designed to promote and reward effective innovation and efficient management in the delivery of quality services. The HIV & AIDS component is to be implemented in a manner that assures that primary care health services are not depleted or weakened by diversion of basic health resources into HIV & AIDS service delivery.
Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS)
1999–2009As a technical assistance partner for newborn and child health to the USAID Bureau for Global Health, the Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS) Project develops and implements strategies to reduce preventable infant and childhood deaths in the developing world. MSH works as a partner in BASICS, which began its third phase in October 2004. Under this indefinite quantity contract (IQC), BASICS assists USAID/Washington Bureaus, USAID field missions, host-country governments, donor agencies, NGOs, PVOs, research institutions, and the private sector to scale up and increase the use of newborn and child health and nutrition interventions by families, communities, and health systems.
Since 1993, BASICS has worked to achieve substantial improvements in coverage and to expand effective newborn and child health interventions. BASICS focus areas include newborn health, essential nutrition actions like vitamin A supplementation, immunization, integrated management of childhood illness, treatment of diarrhea and pneumonia, and malaria control. In addition to strengthening the delivery of basic newborn and child health services, BASICS has expanded its technical scope to include pediatric HIV & AIDS, birth spacing, and child survival and nutrition in complex humanitarian crises. BASICS areas of expertise include assistance to countries on comprehensive strategies or selected interventions for newborn and child health, building partnerships, delivery of quality newborn and child health services, community-based treatment and private sector approaches to expand access to services, and capacity building and training.
Today, BASICS work in Rwanda focuses on expanding effective child health interventions in areas such as newborn health, nutrition, immunization, pediatric AIDS, the treatment of diarrhea and pneumonia, and malaria control. MSH is one of nine consortium members of the BASICS Project.
Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus Program
2000–2008RPM Plus works in more than 40 developing countries to provide technical assistance to strengthen pharmaceutical and health commodity management systems. The program works to improve the availability and use of quality medicines, supplies, and basic medical equipment in the public and private sectors and to promote practical, sustainable changes in pharmaceuticals management by developing capacity within cooperating countries and fostering collaboration between countries.
RPM Plus staff and consultants work within developing countries as well as with regional and global initiatives to provide technical leadership and to develop and apply tools for improving drug management at all levels. The program also disseminates best practices and approaches in commodity management. In response to an urgent request from Centrale d'Achat de Médicaments Essentiels du Rwanda (CAMERWA) to USAID/Rwanda for technical assistance in the quantification of antiretroviral drugs, the RPM Plus Program conducted a general assessment of Rwanda's pharmaceutical and laboratory systems. Following this assessment, in collaboration with USAID/Rwanda and supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, RPM Plus provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and CAMERWA to strengthen Rwanda's pharmaceutical and laboratory sectors.
Advance Africa
2002–2004Advance Africa was a family planning/reproductive health service delivery project designed to increase access to and improve the quality of clinical and nonclinical programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The project worked to increase capacity for informed decision-making by clients and communities, and for the public sector to sustain quality family planning/reproductive health service delivery programs. Advance Africa also worked with USAID missions to scale up existing efforts by closing gaps in service delivery, and building partnerships among public and private health and nonhealth organizations. The project implemented innovative approaches to revitalize family planning programs within the broad context of Africa’s HIV/AIDS pandemic. MSH was the prime of a consortium of six international organizations that managed implementation of the Advance Africa project.
IMPACT
1998–2002The IMPACT program focused on two areas of development: capacity building from 1998 through 2000 and financial management from 2001 to 2002. MSH developed, tested, and revised a capacity building assessment tool for the IMPACT/Rwanda country office and provided ongoing, long-distance technical assistance, training, and coaching on how to implement the capacity-building plan. In the second phase of the IMPACT project, MSH provided support for pharmaceutical management policy and logistics, as well as technical assistance and materials to Family Health International (FHI) in development of FHI projects.
Norplant Cost Study
1993The Norplant Cost Study — coordinated by the FPMD Project — provided information to assist decision makers in implementing cost-effective strategies to improve access to Norplant (a hormonal contraceptive) in developing countries. It examined unit cost of contraceptive methods in the Centre Universitaire de la Santé Publique (CUSP) in Butare, a large outpatient health center. The study results helped managers evaluate the cost implications of different program decisions and to plan and budget effectively for the future.
Rwanda Maternal Child Health & Family Planning II
1990–1994The Rwanda Maternal Child Health & Family Planning II project provided support for policy development and research; family planning service delivery information, education, and communication; and institutional support to increase management capability. The program aimed to increase the quantity and quality of available contraceptive methods by improving the targeting of family planning information services. This project ended in 1994 because of political instability in Rwanda.
Technologies for Primary Health Care (PRITECH)
1983–1993From 1983 to 1993, PRITECH—a major USAID effort to reduce infant and child mortality and morbidity associated with diarrheal disease—operated twenty-seven country and regional programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As prime contractor, MSH managed the five subcontracts that comprised the consortium and provided over 2,500 person-months of assistance in some fifty countries. MSH has continued this successful experience through participation in BASICS and other worldwide projects. In Rwanda, PRITECH led a consultancy of regional health offices and health centers to develop information on how to establish oral rehydration therapy corners in health centers, estimate annual needs in oral rehydration salts (ORS) packets, gain advice on distribution methods, and investigate the possibility of local production of ORS.
