Transport of medicines when land roads are impassable. Tanzania, 2018. © PSF Switzerland
Mitigating the direct consequences of the crisis: an annual transitional project (2021)
PSF Switzerland’s support for the hospital of Lugala and its dispensaries has been successful, particularly in terms of skills transfer, access to medicines and professionalisation of stock management. However, the occurrence of the pandemic disrupted the implementation of the project, forcing PSF Switzerland to repatriate its volunteer pharmacist and to rethink its intervention strategy.
In order to respond to these new constraints, PSF Switzerland has developed a one-year intermediate project, taking into account the consequences of Covid-19. Its aim is to continue its direct support for the hospital of Lugala and its dispensaries, while at the same time carrying out a critical assessment of the situation, evaluating the achievements as well as the malfunctions, in order to be able to refine its responses in the context of a future three-year project.
This project is divided into two main parts:
Support for Lugala hospital and its clinics
In this way, PSF Switzerland ensures that patients have access to quality care and medicines by strengthening the local network of suppliers.
Strengthening the skills of health workers and supporting them in their daily practice
The professionalisation of health staff is based on two aspects: their training in pharmaceutical and logistical matters, but also the strengthening of local capacities in terms of administrative management and pharmacy stock management.
The presence of a PSF Switzerland pharmacist in the field is crucial in this process of transferring skills and exchanging best practices. With the emergence of Covid-19, the design of e-learning material is also on the agenda, in order to give access to basic training to a wider audience, and to ensure continuity when PSF Switzerland pharmacists leave.
Finally, the health crisis has led to an increase in the cost of medicines and medical equipment – the price of surgical gloves has quadrupled! PSF Switzerland will therefore increase its financial support for the purchase of these products.
Mother and child health training at Lugala Hospital. Tanzania, 2014. © PSF Switzerland