Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011

Details for Mechanism ID: 11976
Country/Region: Angola
Year: 2010
Main Partner: Management Sciences for Health
Main Partner Program: Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS)
Organizational Type: Implementing Agency
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $280,000

FY 10 Funds

USG will provide TA for improving the logistics and drugs management in Angola, specifically ARV's, test kits and condoms logistics. Programs suffer from a very weak pharmaceutical supply system at the national as well as the local levels. Health programs have recently experienced difficulties in reaching set targets due to stock out in and test kits, due to poor management, weak logistics systems and thefts from warehouses.

The USG PMI program conducted an assessment in 2005 and as result of the assessment, it was determined that PMI support would include working with the Essential Drug Program to develop the basic pharmaceutical management systems of the MOH. PEPFAR will work in coordination and collaboration with the MOH, the National Malaria Control Program, PRI, WHO and other partners to expand ongoing TA support to ARV's, test kits, condoms, and lab commodities

The overall strategy is to avoid creating a parallel supply system outside of the existing MOH supply system and isolated from other donor programs. An initial assessment will define how USG can best support the MoH and the INLS in this area, for example in the development of a national distribution plan for ARVs. Given the relatively weakened conditions of the MOH system, it is expected that USG support will provide technical support and capacity building to strengthen these systems when appropriate. The main counterpart for this activity is the INLS' National Essential Drugs Program (EDP) which is responsible for the national distribution of essential drugs kits. EDP currently receives technical assistance from PRI, the European Union and WHO. EDP and the INLS coordinate on a variety of issues at the national and provincial levels for ARV, test kits and condoms management.

This activity started in FY 09. The assessment will take place in FY 10 and the implementation activities will be defined and carried out based on specific findings from the assessment.

Funding for Health Systems Strengthening (OHSS): $280,000

Initially, the focus of these activities will be at the central level and then later at provincial levels. These implementation efforts will be strategically phased or staggered over time as systems are put into place and capacity of personnel is developed. Additionally, PEPFAR and other partners will assist the MOH to manage existing in-country stocks of ARVs, test kits, condoms, and lab commodities.

Specific activities in the overall program will include assistance with purchase, warehousing, distribution and the monitoring of this process. Key to success will be efforts to coordinate partners and their procurements for optimal coverage. Additional focus will be on the optimal scheduling of the shipment deliveries for on going product supply, revision to the quantification process using consumption data from health facilities, improving monitoring of suppliers, their performances and adjusting distribution schedules accordingly as well as administrative accountability. Critical outcomes of this activity will be to estimate the funding gaps for national and continuous ARV's availability, to define distribution routes, transportation means and estimate costs, to provide TA for improving national and provincial storage facilities and/or determine alternatives with cost estimates, and to develop mechanisms to minimize leakages from the public sector.