Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Details for Mechanism ID: 10427
Country/Region: Malawi
Year: 2012
Main Partner: Malawi Blood Transfusion Service
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Parastatal
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $1,140,000

IMPACT: Prevent new HIV infections due to HIV in blood products, by strengthening the national safe blood system and expanding it to national reach. MBTS Trust was established by the MOH in 2004 as Malawis national blood service. MBTS receives core operating support from MOH and NAC. Start-up funding was provided by the EU, and PEPFAR provided $1 million in funding since FY06 to develop capacity in hospital blood banks, train health workers in the safe clinical use of blood, and develop a national QA scheme and guidelines. A new PEPFAR co-ag (FY11) supports expansion of MBTS reach to meet all national blood needs and develop comprehensive quality systems. MBTS overall objective is to reduce the incidence of HIV and other diseases, through a safe, adequate and accessible supply of blood products and its appropriate clinical use. Blood is collected from voluntary non-remunerated donors, screened for infections, processed into components and supplied to hospitals for transfusion to patients. MBTS safe blood supplies have increased 10 fold since 2004 to about 50,000 blood units annually. Despite completion of a national network of MBTS centers in 2010, challenges remain, including inadequate donor supply and high prevalence of TTIs in donated blood. There is a need to strengthen blood testing, M&E, and the QA system. MBTS must also address new objectives, including hemovigilance and national disaster management. Evidence based approaches will support MBTS to develop sustainable capacity to make safe blood supplies readily available to all in need. Expected outputs include 100% quality assured testing of donated blood nationally, safe blood supply reaching WHO standards, and an MBTS quality system accredited under international standards.

Global Fund / Programmatic Engagement Questions

1. Is the Prime Partner of this mechanism also a Global Fund principal or sub-recipient, and/or does this mechanism support Global Fund grant implementation? Yes2. Is this partner also a Global Fund principal or sub-recipient? Sub Recipient3. What activities does this partner undertake to support global fund implementation or governance?

Budget Code Recipient(s) of Support Approximate Budget Brief Description of ActivitiesHMBL General population. 1200000 Blood collection activities and community mobilization. Reagent agreement program for HIV and Hepatitis B. Procurement of bood bags and consumables for blood collection. Quality control and Operating costs.

Funding for Biomedical Prevention: Blood Safety (HMBL): $1,140,000

MBTS is a Malawi Trust established by MOH in 2004 to operate national blood donation and transfusion services. MBTS currently meets only about 55% of the national blood demand, and its quality system is not fully developed. The overall objective of the five-year project under PEPFAR support is to develop the donor base to meet the supply of 100% of the countrys safe blood needs and ensure implementation of an internationally accredited quality system from vein to vein, all by 2016. USG support complements funding from the MOH and National AIDS Commission to support MBTS. Program objectives for the next two years include the following:

1. Expand MBTS operations to meet 70% of the need nationally for safe and quality-assured blood products. Technical assistance in blood donor mobilization will be engaged and a KAPB survey will be completed to guide the development of evidence-based strategies for mobilization of blood donors. Other strategies include strengthening monitoring and evaluation, and improving the testing and test result feedback routines for all blood donors.

2. Improve the quality system and work towards achieving international accreditation. Technical assistance will be engaged to support developing a comprehensive quality system, and the national quality assessment program (NQAS) will be extended to cover 15 more hospital blood banks (HBB). Additional activities will improve the infrastructure of MBTS and HBB through rehabilitations, equipment provision, implementing the national blood policy and guidelines, and training of all personnel involved in the blood transfusion chain.

Blood donor programs support other public health interventions in HIV prevention, and identify HIV-positive individuals for enrollment in HIV care and treatment. MBTS places cost-effectiveness and sustainability at the center of strategy and implementation planning. This cooperative agreement is aligned with a broader MBTS strategic plan to support attainment of national needs as outlined in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, the Health Sector plans (Health Sector-Wide Approach) , the HIV AIDS National Strategic Plan, and the Malawi Governments Partnership Framework with USG.

Cross Cutting Budget Categories and Known Amounts Total: $221,600
enumerations.Construction/Renovation $42,500
Human Resources for Health $179,100
Key Issues Identified in Mechanism
enumerations.Malaria (PMI)
Child Survival Activities
Military Populations
Safe Motherhood
Workplace Programs