An off-site training was held for 104 pharmacy personnel (32 males, 72 females) responsible for managing HIV and TB medicines in 88 health facilities in the 4 regions around the country. SIAPS supported the training, which included pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses. The trainings took place over August 7–17, 2017, and each region was trained over a period of two days.
The training covered inventory management of antiretrovirals and anti-TB medicines, Good Dispensing Practices, rational medicines use, proper storage practices, waste management, pharmacology, drug interactions and common side effects of ARVs and TB medicines, the importance of ADR reporting, and reporting and ordering of medicines using the Logistics Management Information System. As part of the training, participants were also requested to develop quality improvement projects (QIPs) for their facilities to address problems relating to medicine availability and rational use.
SIAPS will continue to provide mentorship visits and support the implementation of the QIPs at the facilities over the next three months. It is expected that these interventions will contribute to improving the availability of essential HIV and TB medicines at health facilities. It is also expected that, from this training, pharmacy personnel will dedicate more time to support activities at facilities to improve adherence to treatment through proper counseling of patients, reduced treatment failures, and positive patient health outcomes.
