During this assessment, information was obtained on many aspects of the system, including—

• Policy and legal frameworks
• Human resources
• Pharmaceutical selection, procurement, distribution, and rational use
• Management support systems
• Information systems

Following this assessment, in collaboration with USAID/Rwanda and supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, RPM Plus began providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and CAMERWA to strengthen Rwanda's pharmaceutical and laboratory sectors.

Strengthening the Pharmaceutical Sector

Ensuring quality, availability, and rational use of medicines requires coordination at both national and facility levels.

RPM Plus provides technical assistance to strengthen the system at multiple levels—

1. Centrale d'Achat de Médicaments Essentiels du Rwanda (CAMERWA)
    
   • Strengthening the procurement system, including quantification of medicines, management of storage systems, and improvement of organization and procedures
      
   • Strengthening the management information system (MIS)
   
    
2. Pharmacy Directorate
    
   • Facilitating the creation of committees, including the establishment of a national Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee to better coordinate actions related to pharmaceutical management
      
   • Strengthening the MIS as well as communication between the Pharmacy Directorate, CAMERWA, facilities, and other stakeholders
      
   
    
3. Pharmaceutical management at the facility level
    
   • Developing general training materials for pharmaceutical management, including standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to stock control, good dispensing practices, and adverse drug reactions
      
   • Disseminating SOPs and providing training at target sites
     
     

Laboratory services are integral to the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. These services are essential in the diagnosis of HIV infection, staging the disease progression, and monitoring patients' response to therapy. RPM Plus focuses on the following aspects of strengthening the laboratory sector—

1. Collaborating with the National Reference Laboratory on the development of a national laboratory policy
    
2. Facilitating the development of SOPs for ART
    
3. Disseminating SOPs and providing training at target facilities
    

Related Information

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