Project dates: September 2011–December 2016
SIAPS South Africa End of Project Report
Archive South Africa
Developing Better Terms of Reference to Improve the Performance of Pharmaceutical Sector Committees: Case Studies from South Africa
In South Africa, there are numerous governance structures that make crucial decisions about selection, procurement, distribution, and use of medicines, diagnostics, and other pharmaceutical products. A challenge commonly encountered is that critical committees either do not exist or where the committee is in place, it does not function optimally. One of the most underlying causes … Read more
Pharmaceutical Leadership and Governance Initiative in the Free State Province, November 2015–May 2016
The PLGI was implemented in the Free State Province from September 2015 to May 2016. Thirty-two pharmacists from primary health care (PHC) centers, hospitals, districts, and the provincial health depot successfully completed the program. The results achieved, together with the challenges faced by the pharmacy district teams, were presented at a final presentation workshop held … Read more
Leadership Development Program in the Northern/Tygerberg Sub-Structure, September 2012–May 2013
The LDP was offered to health care professionals in the Northern/Tygerberg Sub-Structure (NTSS), Western Cape Province. Twenty-four health care professionals (12 facility managers and 12 pharmacy supervisors) from primary health care facilities across the sub-structure were enrolled in the program in September 2012. The results achieved, together with the challenges faced by the NTSS facility … Read more
Using Electronic Pharmacy Dispensing Data for Surveillance of Outpatient Antibiotic Consumption and Monitoring of Antibiotic Prescribing Practices at District and Provincial Hospitals in the South African Public Sector
The primary aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using electronic pharmacy dispensing data extracted from RxSolution® for the surveillance of outpatient (ambulatory) antibiotic consumption and monitor antibiotic prescribing practices at district and provincial hospitals in public health facilities in North West Province, South Africa, between April 2013 and March 2015. This … Read more
Technical Report: South Africa Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program
The Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program (PLDP) is a participatory training program using innovative strategies to strengthen health care professionals’ leadership and management skills. Based on the framework behind Management Sciences for Health (MSH)’s Leadership Development Program, the PLDP was developed at the request of South Africa’s provincial heads of Pharmaceutical Services to strengthen pharmacy managers’ … Read more
SIAPS Program Director’s Blog: Strengthening the Leadership and Management of Pharmaceutical Services in South Africa
In South Africa, the USAID funded SIAPS Program has provided technical assistance in leadership and management to improve the pharmaceutical sector. Through close collaboration with the government of South Africa, SIAPS adapted MSH’s Virtual Leadership Development Program (VLDP), creating the Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program (PLDP). The PLDP combines technical pharmaceutical knowledge with training in leading … Read more
Technical Brief: Strengthening the Leadership and Management of Pharmaceutical Services in South Africa
South Africa’s health system is under enormous strain. There is a sizeable and increasing number of people with chronic diseases, both communicable and noncommunicable. The country has the largest population living with HIV, estimated at 7 million; an HIV prevalence rate of 19.2%; and 180,000 HIV-related deaths in 2015. South Africa has the highest number of people on HIV … Read more
The Role of PTCs in Using Financial Resources Efficiently in South Africa
Using the pharmaceutical systems strengthening approach, SIAPS supported the GPPTC in three critical systems-strengthening areas. First, SIAPS facilitated the development and approval of provincial guidelines to establish pharmaceutical and therapeutics committees (PTCs) at all health facilities in Gauteng Province. The guidelines reinforce the governance mechanisms supporting the PTCs, outlining expected compliance to procurement practices and assessing pharmaceutical expenditures. Second, SIAPS strengthened human resources capacity through the implementation … Read more
RxSolution: An Electronic Inventory and Patient Management Tool Improves Access To and Rational Use of Medicines
Over the past three years, SIAPS has expanded the use of RxSolution to a total of 350 sites across South Africa. SIAPS is also developing numerous customized modules and modifications to meet the specialized needs of different clinical settings including expanded functionality for barcode tracking, biometric monitoring, and mobile phone applications.
