RPM Plus has established a strong working relationship with the Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility (GDF) to help ensure that first-line medicines received by participating countries are properly stored, distributed, and used.

In addition, RPM Plus helps countries establish mechanisms to continue to build capacity for managing TB medicines and commodities with limited outside assistance.

Key RPM Plus activities as part of this collaboration include—

• Participation in joint assessments with GDF teams in-country to determine a TB program's capacity to manage the receipt and distribution of GDF medicines before they are shipped.

  To date, RPM Plus has contributed to GDF assessment teams in—

  Armenia	Egypt	Kenya	Tajikistan
  Azerbaijan	Georgia	Kosovo	Togo
  Bosnia and Herzegovina	Haiti	Macedonia	Turkmenistan
  Cameroon	India (Orissa State)	Moldova	Uzbekistan
  Democratic Republic of Congo	Indonesia	Niger

  In pharmaceutical programs weakened by poor management skills, recommendations and short-term technical assistance are provided to strengthen the distribution and monitoring mechanisms that underpin proper and effective use of GDF medicines.

• Evaluation of country TB drug management practices. In 2002, RPM Plus used its Pharmaceutical Management for Tuberculosis (PMTB) assessment tool [PDF - 138 KB] at the request of GDF to evaluate the TB drug management practices in the two recipient countries: Republic of the Congo (Congo Brazzaville) and India (Uttar Pradesh State).

  The results of these surveys were discussed with representatives of all GDF recipient countries at the Improving Drug Management: Accelerating DOTS Expansion TB pharmaceutical management meeting in Washington, D.C., in June 2002.

  Feedback from the surveyed countries and meeting participants formed the basis for revising the PMTB tool and adapting it for GDF purposes.
  
  To request a copy of the above tools please e-mail us.
  

< Return