Month: February 2015

Enhancing the Delivery of Antiretroviral Treatment Using Mobile Dispensing Technology in Namibia’s Kavango and Zambezi Regions     

by

Katelyn Payne, SIAPS Project Associate, Greatjoy Mazibuko, SIAPS Senior Technical Advisor, and Bayobuya Phulu,  SIAPS Senior Technical Advisor Conquering Geographic Barriers At the Nankudu District Hospital in the North Eastern part of Namibia’s Kavango region, nurses are busy preparing antiretroviral treatment (ART) medicine packs—just one of the many duties they have to ensure patients receive … Read more

Accurate stock reporting: Ensuring the availability of laboratory commodities for HIV testing in Lesotho

by

By Almakio Phiri, SIAPS Lesotho Country Project Director; Katelyn Payne, Project Associate; Andreas Fusi, SIAPS Laboratory Logistics Advisor; and Pheello Pompong, SIAPS M&E and Communications Advisor Expanding Laboratory Testing Services Lesotho has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, with 22.9% of the population living with the disease.  The severity of this public health crisis is … Read more

Strengthening the TB pharmaceutical management system and ensuring patients’ uninterrupted access to anti-TB medicines in Uzbekistan

by

By Shirin Kakayeva, SIAPS Technical Associate and Dr. Archil Salakaia, SIAPS Central Asia Portfolio Manager Uzbekistan is one of 18 high-priority countries in the WHO’s European region, and is among 27 high-burden multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) countries in the world. As the uninterrupted supply of anti-TB medicines is necessary for the survival of TB patients, pharmaceutical management … Read more

Angola: Better Patient Data, Better Supply Chain, Better Treatment Outcomes

by

The Problem In 2009, with the arrival of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) c in Africa under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Angolans living with HIV were given a lifeline for living longer, healthier, and more productive lives. As of 2012, there were a quarter of a million people in Angola living with HIV.  … Read more

SIAPS/DRC in the News: Improving Women and Children’s Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo

by

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has an infant mortality rate of 73.15 per 1,000 live births—one of the highest in the world. The USAID-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program in DRC, in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), is working to implement an action plan for improving access … Read more

The Drug and Therapeutics Committee: An Agent of Change at St. Mary’s Hospital

by

By Hailu Tadeg, Getachew Ayalew and Merresa Weldegebriel St. Mary’s Hospital: A Modern Hospital in an Ancient City St. Mary’s Hospital is located in one of Ethiopia’s most historic cities—Axum. Sitting at the base of the northern mountains of Ethiopia, Axum—capital of the Aksumite Empire—is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa. Today, … Read more

Beating Tuberculosis Requires More Than Medicine

by

By Emily Delmotte, SIAPS Technical Advisor This has been cross-posted with the permission of Science Speaks. The text has been changed slightly for clarity. Eight years ago Busisiwe Beko was undergoing treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) when, after months of waiting to see a pediatric specialist, her daughter was diagnosed with the same illness. The … Read more

Global TB Conference 2015: Building the Post-2015 Agenda

by

The SIAPS Program, in collaboration with the Stop TB Partnership Global Drug Facility, will host a technical conference titled, “Building the Post-2015 Agenda: Novel Approaches to Improving Access to TB Medicines and Pharmaceutical Services” from March 2-6, 2015 at the Conrad Bangkok Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Please visit the conference page for more information.

Creating Centers of Excellence in Ethiopia: Country Ownership and Sustainability

by

By Hailu Tadeg, SIAPS Country Project Director for Ethiopia Ethiopia’s public health system has undergone a remarkable expansion in the last five years.  The number of hospitals has increased from 116 in 2009 to 156 in 2014 with an additional 123 new hospitals  in the pipeline.  Additionally, the number of health centers has grown from … Read more