Sept. 16, 2019 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia): The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in collaboration with the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia today held a one-day Resource Mobilization Event and a panel discussion on the regional Cancer Initiative aimed at establishing an IGAD Regional Cancer Centre of Excellence (IGAD RCCE) in Addis Ababa.
June 19, 2019 (ENTEBBE ,Uganda) - During a 2-day meeting in Entebbe this week, members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Post-Marketing Surveillance Expert Working Group reviewed and validated the results from a first-of-its kind survey on the quality of oxytocin injection and amoxicillin dispersible tablet/suspension circulating in selected cross-border areas in the IGAD region.
The validated results were disseminated today to participating Member State national medicines regulatory authorities for appropriate corrective actions. Overall, the survey showed that 21% of oxytocin injection samples tested did not meet quality specifications. This means that women who may need this product during childbirth may be exposed to substandard medicines which may not be as effective as a quality-assured product. Encouragingly, the survey found that 100% of amoxicillin samples (both dispersible tablet and suspension) tested passed all quality tests.
In addition, 72% of oxytocin injection products, 30% of amoxicillin dispersible tablet products, and 26% of amoxicillin suspension products collected were not registered by the relevant national medicine regulatory authority. Medicine registration is an important way for national medicine regulatory authorities to control the quality of medicines.
The overall objective of the 2-day meeting was to review and validate the draft report on the quality of oxytocin injection and amoxicillin dispersible tablet/dry powder for oral suspension sampled from government, private and non-governmental health care facilities in selected cross-border areas in six IGAD Member States: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. The meeting also allowed Member States to validate a report of self-assessed capacity for pharmacovigilance in the region.
Specifically, the experts from Member States:
Validated post-marketing surveillance report and pharmacovigilance self-assessment report and propose recommendations for strengthening related activities in the IGAD region;
Oxytocin is used to induce labour, and prevent and treat excessive bleeding after childbirth (also known as postpartum haemorrhage). Postpartum haemorrhage is an important cause of maternal death.
Amoxicillin is a widely used antibiotic drug for children and adults. The dispersible tablet and suspension forms are used to treat pneumonia and other bacterial infections in children.
Oxytocin and amoxicillin are both recommended treatments by the World Health Organization and are both widely available in low- and middle-income countries, including the IGAD region.
The sample collection exercise was conducted from December 2018 to February 2019 by experts from the national medicines regulatory authorities with guidance and coordination from the IGAD secretariat, the IGAD Expert Working Group Post-Marketing Surveillance and the Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) program which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the U.S. Pharmacopeia.
Medicine regulatory systems strengthening for the marginalized and vulnerable cross-border mobile populations (CBMPs) in IGAD’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) are often given limited attention and not regarded as a priority. CBMP communities include people living in cross-border areas, mobile pastoralists, refugees, seasonal labourers, economically active persons and undocumented migrants as well as internally displaced persons.
With the IGAD region becoming more integrated and barriers to trade and movement of people reduced, strengthening cross-border health systems, including those that support access to quality-assured medicines, need further attention by Member States and partners.
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11-june-2019, (ENTEBBE, Uganda):Ensuring continuity of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment in the region is one of the critical concerns for The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). IGAD in joint partnership with USAID and the USAID-funded Challenge TB (CTB) project continues to increase its focus on improving the health of Cross-Border and Mobile Populations (CBMP) and strengthening inter-country collaboration and referral systems for TB amongst its member governments. It is on this effort that IGAD convened a four-day experience sharing workshop for IGAD Member states National Tuberculosis (TB) Program on Cross-Border TB disease diagnosis, treatment, and continuity of care amongst the Member States.
Conducted in the lakeside town of Entebbe, the workshop brought together TB Programme Managers, M&E experts, district/county TB focal persons and health care providers working in the cross-border health facilities in all IGAD member states. Also present were experts from the IGAD secretariat and Challenge TB who have been providing technical backstopping on cross-border TB.
The workshop followed a review of the country guidelines for TB management and an assessment on TB services in the IGAD cross-border areas in 2018. This particular assessment also reviewed the current inter-country TB patients referral system and informed the planning and implementation of cross-border TB activities.
During the meeting:
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12 April 2019, KAMPALA (Uganda): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) today closed a Validation Workshop for the Assessment of Cross Border Tuberculosis (TB) Services and Referral System in the IGAD Region in Kampala.
In 2018, IGAD Health and the USAID-funded Challenge TB (CTB) Project conducted assessments to gather information on the situation and services related to TB prevention and control at the IGAD countries border areas, and to understand the current inter-country TB presumptive and patient referral system.
The assessment collected data from 26 border areas Health facilities prioritized by IGAD for cross border activities and representing the IGAD member states of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Within each country, the teams conducted health facility visits, interviews with stakeholders, and desk research to collect information.
This five-day workshop brought together the Heads of the National TB Programme (NTP), Experts on M&E and information system within the TB programme, and in-country national and district assessors who conducted the assessments.
During the workshop the Assessment Report of Health Services and Resources for Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis in Cross-border & Mobile Populations was validated, as well as the Report of IGAD Member States’ Inter-Country Referral System Assessment for Tuberculosis. Also, the participants provide input to the draft Minimum Package of TB Services for cross border and mobile populations and Inter-country TB referral/transfer notification system.
Speaking for the Director of the Health and Social Development Division, Fatuma Adan-Senior Regional program Coordinator encouraged the participants to “bear in mind the difficulties faced in the control of diseases among across national borders. “Please document and raise any challenges you learn in the pilot to IGAD for appropriate regional policy interventions to help build resilient health systems in the region”, she concluded.
IGAD, through the joint partnership with USAID and the USAID-funded Challenge TB (CTB) project managed by the KNCV Nairobi regional office, continues to increase its focus on improving the health of cross border/mobile population (CBMP) and strengthening inter country referral systems for Tuberculosis amongst its member states..
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01 April 2019, KAMPALA (Uganda):The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) this morning launched a knowledge management (KM) and community of practice training workshop on health in Kampala in collaboration with the John Hopkins University’s Knowledge for Health Project (K4Health) that is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Each IGAD member state delegated representatives from their respective national Ministry of Health .They are joined by Experts from IGAD Secretariat and Health Specialists team.
The main aim of this training is to address knowledge management gaps identified during the KM Needs and Gaps assessment that was conducted in August and September 2018 by IGAD and K4Health.
On behalf of the Ag Director of Health and Social Development Division-Madam Fathia Alwan, Senior Programme Coordinator Fatuma Adan in her opening remarks acknowledged that “Knowledge Management plays a crucial role in strengthening the regional integration and development agenda of IGAD because of its direct linkage with health research and evidence-based policy formulation”.
She said her hope to see this training going “a long way in enhancing Member States capacities in KM and establish a pool of experts who will mentor others and help in institutionalizing KM for better information management, for better decision making, for better health outcomes”.
The Director of Policy, Plan. Monitoring & Evaluation at the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, Mrs Biruk Abata, officially opened the training in her capacity as Chairperson after thanking partners for the support provided and urging delegates to take stock of the opportunity.
Upon successful convening of the training, the participants are expected to generate success stories ideas to be documented for sharing on the IGAD website, and to develop member state and IGAD secretariat knowledge management plans for their countries post-training.
The United States Agency for International Development’s Kenya and East African Mission (USAID/KEA) approached the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), on behalf of the USAID-funded and CCP-led Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project, to provide technical support for the strengthening of IGAD KM capacity.
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