MAUL Bulletin, We Share with You a Detailed
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MAUL July 2020 BULLETIN Volume 3 Issue 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Hello, • Support to National Response and Relief Ef- forts in Combating COVID-19 Enhancing human health involves the use of innovative ap- • Emergency Delivery of Medicines to Kilembe proaches and best practices to procure and deliver medi- Mines Hospital Amid Flash Floods cines and health commodities to patients when and where • Logistics Team in Action During the COVID- they need them the most. However, with the emergence of 19 Pandemic the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to find new and in- • Procurement Agency: Mitigating Sourcing Risk During COVID-19 novative ways to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medi- • CDC & Implementing Partner Communica- cines to over 240,000 people. We implemented a business tors’ Meeting continuity plan that aimed at keeping staff safe while ensur- • Working From Home: Joseph’s Experience ing continuity of procurement, supply chain and health sys- • COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Response & Inno- tems strengthening operations to avert treatment interrup- vation tions for the people that need the medicines the most. • COVID-19 Training: Infection Prevention and Use of Virtual Working Applications Through the MAUL bulletin, we share with you a detailed insight into how we have been able to continue our opera- EDITORIAL TEAM tions running sustainably, keeping our staff and the wider • Arthur Muwanga community safe while delivering on our commitment of en- • Sheba Nakimera suring access to life-saving medicines to all that need them. • Josephine Tamale • EmmaLinda Nassali Cheers! 1 SUPPORT TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE & RELIEF EFFORTS IN COMBATING COVID-19 Medical Access Uganda Limited (MAUL) donated managing the current COVID-19 crisis. The PPE personal protection equipment (PPE) worth UGX materials shall facilitate frontline health workers in 11Million to frontline health workers in the fight the on-going effort to trace and test all suspected against the global COVID-19 pandemic in Ugan- patients and their patient management efforts,” da. The PPE materials comprising surgical masks said Dr. Settaala “ As an organisation, we remain and disposable gloves were handed over to the committed to ensuring the safety of our staff while State Minister of Health for General Duties, Hon. giving back to the communities in which we oper- Robinah Nabbanja at the Ministry of Health ate as we stand together with the Government of Headquarters in Kampala. MAUL also contribut- Uganda to fight against the COVID-19 pandem- ed 175 litres of hand sanitizer to bolster sanitation ic.” hygiene efforts in-line with COVID-19 interven- tions. This donation is in line with MAUL’s Restoring Hope Initiative, our corporate social responsibility Speaking during the handover, MAUL’s Director program aimed at fostering a strong foundation of Programs, Dr. Rashid Settaala applauded the for sustainable healthcare delivery in the commu- Government’s efforts in managing the crisis and nities in which we operate through annual staff curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. “I would like to contributions towards public health issues com- appreciate the Government of Uganda and Minis- munity organizations. try of Health’s exceptional efforts of leading and 2 EMERGENCY DELIVERY OF MEDICINES TO KILEMBE MINES HOSPITAL AMID FLASH FLOODS Kasese district was hit by flash floods when river Nyamugasani, Mubuku and Nyamwamba burst their banks. Huge volumes of water washed Kilembe Mines Hospital destroying the hospital infrastructure in its path. Calamities like these usually disrupt health systems and thus reduce uninterrupted patient access to health services and life-saving medicines. Muhammed Lugolobi, a Last Mile Executive who delivered emergency medicines supplies narrated, “the whole facility was filled with dark soils and water that the locals called minerals that had flowed down from the hills. There were large rocks everywhere and the medicines stores was completely destroyed, and all medicines lost since it was among the struc- tures closest to the banks of river Nyamwamba.” The destruction of the medicine stores largely meant that hundreds of people living with HIV (PLHIV) under their care wouldn’t be able to re- ceive their medications where and when they Rocks and other debris left behind in the needed it. For PLHIV, antiretroviral therapy un- wake of floods destroying Kilembe Mines Hospital infrastructure questionably represents the best opportunity to achieve viral suppression, recover immune func- of the nationwide curfew imposed to prevent the tion and prevent HIV-related diseases. Thus, an spread of COVID-19. interruption is detrimental to their lives, causes resistance to ART and a reversal to gains made In addition, “the hospital also had no pallets and nationally on the path to epidemic control. thus we had to improvise with benches as pallets to ensure that the drugs are appropriately stored However, even with a readiness to respond to in the new structure housing the ART clinic. Fur- emergency needs for medicines to ensure PLHIV thermore, I had to carry all the medicines stocks remain on treatment, Muhammed still couldn’t myself from the vehicle to the new medicine store hand over the commodities as health workers to ensure I protect myself from COVID-19 infec- were in a rush to get back to their homes in honor tion as per the trainings we had been taken through”. 3 EMERGENCY DELIVERY OF MEDICINES TO KILEMBE MINES HOSPITAL AMID FLASH FLOODS (CONT’D) “We are very thankful and were always sure that Medical Access would assist us in this time of need,” the hospital administrators told Mu- hammed on finishing the stacking and organiza- tion of the medicines in the stores. As a Last Mile Executive, Muhammed is a critical link in ensur- ing that these medicines and essential healthcare commodities reach more than 240,000 patients on antiretroviral therapy at over 250 health facili- ties under the Health Supply Chain Improvement Project (HSIP) wherever they may be and always with a smile. “Each time I make a delivery, I get compliments from staff and patients. To me, this is enough motivation for the work I do,” said Mu- hammed. Medicines stocked on benches in the absence of pallets While the new ART clinic store could store medi- cines under normal room temperature levels, it couldn’t handle thermolabile products such as Lopinavir/Ritonavir and thus the hospital adminis- trators sought the help of St. Paul Health Centre IV, a neighboring health site to adequately store these cold chain products for the time being as the hospital shifted its operations to St. Micheal Kindergarten and Day Care School temporarily. The temporary hospital site 4 “The Distribution team ensured 100% order fulfilment and on-time delivery for all health commodities required by CDC-supported health facilities during the COVID- 19 pandemic situation alongside ensuring adherence to COVID-19 infection and prevention control practices. At the end of the distribution cycle, no MA staff had been diagnosed with COVID-19. However, the team still navigated through poor ter- rain, flooded roads and spent nights in the delivery trucks with a core objective to ensuring patient access to life-saving medicines against all odds” 5 PROCUREMENT: MITIGATING SOURCING RISK DURING COVID-19 The COVID-19 pan- demic is currently affecting over 200 countries globally including those from which Medical Ac- cess procures life- saving HIV medi- cines and vital health commodities needed for care and treat- ment of people living with HIV in Uganda. MA split orders amongst prequalified suppliers to The pandemic has applied significant pressure on ensure on-time delivery and reduce the risk of global manufacturer production capacities, suppli- increased lead times especially for HIV medicines er availability and logistics. This has in turn risked that had been caused by the scarcity of active the continuation of an uninterrupted supply of pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that had result- medicines to PLHIV in Uganda due to lockdowns ed from the shutdown of major manufacturers in and other measures undertaken to contain the China. spread of the virus, which also has an impact on supply. Medical Access is in on-going dialogue Furthermore, MA has reduced the issuance of with suppliers to assess risk of commodity availa- requests for quotations to avert unnecessary bility and accessibility and undertaking mitigating price increments from suppliers while ensuring measures to avert interruptions in antiretroviral routing follow-up on pending shipments for com- therapy for more than 240,000 PLHIV. modities to ensure timeliness of delivery. In order to further ensure zero disruptions in HIV treat- Through supplier relationship management ef- ment efforts, MA has opted for mulit-month dis- forts, MA has engaged suppliers prior to award to pensing packs for antiretroviral therapy to ensure confirm availability of commodities and price va- PLHIV have constant access to treatment while lidity, negotiations with suppliers to maintain pric- staying away from health facilities for longer peri- es for pipeline orders while reaching out to local ods of time to protect themselves from contract- suppliers to secure enough stock of commodities ing COVID-19 from previously recommended reg- before major global lockdowns had escalated. To ular health visits. mitigate instances of supplier failure to deliver, 6 CDC & IMPLEMENTING PARTNER COMMUNICATORS’ MEETINGS The U.S Centers for Disease Control (CDC) held their Implementing Partners (IPs) com- municators’ roundtable