MINISTRY OF HEALTH ZAMBIA

M I N I S T R Y O F H E A LT H Z A M B I A

Advancing healthcare through communication technology

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A Healthy and Productive

Zambia The Ministry of Health Zambia is moving with the times to introduce information technology that will enable easy communication and exciting advancements within the healthcare sector in the country Writer: Phoebe Calver • Project Manager: Callam Waller here is a huge amount of potential when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT) and the Ministry of Health Zambia (MOH) recognises and utilises this as a way to transform healthcare delivery, enabling information access and supporting healthcare operations, management and decision making.

Despite improvements, the Zambian healthcare sector is still largely characterised by a fragmented landscape of ICT start-up projects, not to mention the numerous data and health information systems (HIS) silos, which halt the progression of the effective sharing of information between healthcare participants.

At present MOH, supported by the

Zambian Government, partners and private institutions are continuing to invest in various ICT initiatives particularly due to the noticeable absence of national coordination and planning - in order to progress with the effective utilisation of resources and creation of new solutions.

“The Government of the Republic of Zambia through its ongoing health sector reforms aim to improve health outcomes,” explains MOH on its website. “Through part of these reforms, Ministry of Health has developed strategies, including the National Health Strategic Plan - 2011 to 2015 - which enables us to guide priority settings and

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deployment of resources within the health sector.�

Although the implementation of strategies are often promised to produce positive results, having to create the best possible outcomes - particularly when faced with increasingly high pressure situations - does require a fundamental transformation for the healthcare sector and particularly the way it is delivered and managed moving forward; for companies such as MOH, it will be vitally important to stay ahead of this curve.

ICT impact

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SAGEWOOD

The Government of the Republic of Zambia through its ongoing health sector reforms aim to improve health outcomes

As previously mentioned, the impact of ICT has - in the past few years in particular - significantly impacted multiple areas of the society that MOH works within, and it looks set to have a very positive impact on the delivery of healthcare services.

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ith head offices located in London, Sagewood Limited was established in April, 1987 and now has regional offices located in Zambia, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. The Company also has operations running in Ethiopia through local agents, as well as a liaison office in Shenshen, which looks after quality control and production at its partner factory.

Sagewood has accumulated a wealth of practical experience over three decades of international operations, consistently offering quality at a competitive price; the Company aims to provide appropriate technology and solutions which ensure the customers get value for money.

The Sagewood philosophy is centred on supplying its valued customers with a value for money product and service, a key facet being its focus and commitment.

Keeping in close contact with customers is pivotally important, with head office personnel regularly visiting all regional offices several times a year in order to liaise directly with the end users.

The Company has worked as a partner and team player with its customers, ensuring a long-term and mutually beneficial commercial relationship. At Sagewood it values project success and mutual benefits as a driving factor that has enabled the formation of longlasting partnerships.

New customers will always be welcomed into the Company’s business network with the same service and approach, the Sagewood model has enabled work with the majority of its current customer base for the past three decades and will continue to do so in the years to come.

T +44 20 8958 0060 E info@sagewood.com

www.sagewood.com ICT is having a significantly positive impact on the delivery of healthcare services

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PASSION TO PERFORM

procurement | delivery | installation | training

Energy Sector/Utilities

Health & Laboratory

We supply all materials from our partner factories based in China, India and Europe. Our association with our partner factories over the past decades has enabled us to develop processes which ensure that quality, material specifications, adherence to international standards and timely deliveries are maintained.

We supply a complete range of equipment and consumables for teaching hospitals, health clinics and rural service clinics. With our ISO13485:2012 medical accreditation, and ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 quality accreditations we are fully qualified to serve the healthcare sector.

We have central warehouse facilities in North and South China and are able to consolidate products from all our partner factories. This enables us to supply a range of products such as cables, pole line hardware, termination kits, circuit breakers, transformers and energy meters and ship as one consolidated shipment to our customers worldwide.

In addition to supply of equipment and consumables, we offer a range of services which covers installation, commissioning and training on products supplied by us.

This is particularly useful for contractors who may want all their materials in one shipment from one single source for ease of operation.

We have a team of qualified personal who are factory trained by the equipment manufacturers. This strength allows us to offer maintenance services to hospitals and health ministries to maintain their equipment on preventative maintenance contracts.

Providing a complete service to industry www.sagewood.com | +44 20 8958 0060 | info@sagewood.com

SAGEWOOD

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“Training in this area is pivotally important for us, with the purpose of this strategy being to use ICT as a way to leverage service delivery,” adds MOH. “These developments actually coincide with the Zambian Government’s adoption of a different paradigm, working on rolling out a ‘SMART Zambia Now’ scheme across the country.

“It is our considered view that with the addition of appropriate commitment and support from Governmental bodies, health workers, cooperating partners (CPs) and other key stakeholders, our strategies will significantly improve and contribute to the management of the health sector as a whole.”

Urging stakeholders to thoroughly involve themselves in the implementation of MOH’s eHealth strategy, has been at the top of the Company’s list of priorities, particularly when it comes to the familiarisation with this important document.

It has also been particularly important to employ a strategy that

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is both holistic and inclusive, with the development of the eHealth strategy, using it as a participatory process which brings together key stakeholders such as CEEGICT, ZICTA, CDC, USAID and CHAI, all of which are able to share their experiences in the implementation of eHealth interventions.

Social and cultural changes

The Ministry of Health’s eHealth strategy recognises the huge impact of improving the delivery of healthcare to the masses, not to mention the benefits that come with systems such as eHealth, making health systems more efficient and responsive to dynamic needs.

“A particularly large contribution has been found through social and cultural changes which work towards building the understanding that the health sector must now integrate ICT into its delivery of quality health services to citizens,” continues MOH. “It is a very exciting time as we are emerging from a severely constrained health system,

STERELIN

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ith a mission to make the world’s leading medical and diagnostic brands available to healthcare providers and patients in Zambia, Sterelin’s influence in the country for the past 14 years has been geared towards achieving just that.

In doing so at affordable prices, the Company has helped to provide ‘healthcare for the nation’; driven by a code of conduct which is adhered to across the board in accordance with laws, regulations and ethics procedures.

To achieve its mission, Sterelin has partnered with the world’s leading pharmaceutical and diagnostics entities, while also providing continuous medical education programmes to aid skills development.

“At Sterelin we emphasise the importance of experience and professional training for our staff, both in product knowledge and customer service,” the Company elaborates.

Cohesive, committed, responsive, attentive, and customer-focused, the Company is subsequently reputed as a market leader; compounded by partnerships with the national health industry and in establishing PPP long-term framework contracts with the Ministry of Health to supply key lifesaving medicines and diagnostic equipment to the public health sector.

The provision of regulatory and compliance advisory services also aids partnerships and sector development on an international scale.

In recent years, Sterelin has embarked on building its own purpose-designed, state-of-the-art office block and warehousing complex at a cost of more than $2 million, eight kilometres south of Lusaka’s city centre; a move which is already helping to cement this highquality service to its customers in the present day and with the future in mind.

T +260 211 849050/53 E mdsoffice@sterelin.co.zm

Stakeholders are encouraged to thoroughly involve themselves in eHealth

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www.sterelin.com

Making the world’s leading medical and diagnostic brands available to the healthcare providers and patients throughout Zambia since 2003

Healthcare for the Nation

Healthcare for the Nation Address: Plot 291, Eureka Farm, Makeni, Kafue Road, Lusaka Tel: +260 211 849050/53 Fax: +260 211 849057 mdsoffice@sterelin.co.zm

Making the world’s leading medical and diagnostic brands www.sterelin.co.zm available to the healthcare providers and patients throughout Zambia since 2003

Making the world’s leading medical and diagnostic brands available to the healthcare providers and patients throughout Zambia since 2003

Address: Plot 291, Eureka Farm, Makeni, Kafue Road, Lusaka Tel: +260 211 849050/53 Fax: +260 211 849057 mdsoffice@sterelin.co.zm www.sterelin.com

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A strongly coordinated focus on the ‘people’ dimension of the national eHealth deployment will be supported by the following mechanisms: National awareness campaigns

Designed and implemented national awareness campaigns that focus on communicating the scope and benefits of high priority solutions to consumers and care providers.

Financial incentive programs

Establish financial incentive programs, targeted primarily at key private provider segments, to encourage the adoption and use of high priority eHealth solutions as they become available.

Care provider accreditation

Facilitate changes to national care provider accreditation regimes to make the adoption and use of eHealth solutions are a core accreditation requirement.

Education and Training

Implement changes to vocational and tertiary training programs to increase the number of skilled, nationally available eHealth practitioners.

Stakeholder engagement forums

Establish national eHealth stakeholder reference forums and working groups with cross sectorial representation and clearly designed objectives and goals.

with many new opportunities on the horizon.”

It is important to remember that Zambia has a particularly high disease burden, characterised by a high prevalence and impact of communicable diseases which have a vast social impact, including malaria, HIV and TB, not to mention the especially high neonatal and child morbidities and mortalities.

“Recently the country has also been faced with a rapidly rising burden of non-communicable diseases - particularly including mental health - which are emerging from a

Recently the country has also been faced with a rapidly rising burden of noncommunicable diseases

severely constrained health system and providing opportunities for the Ministry.”

Socio-economic changes

Zambia’s long-term socio-economic development agenda has and continues to be guided by the National Vision 2030, aiming to transform the country into a prosperous nation by 2030.

“A particularly exciting prospect for the Ministry is the fact that Vision 2030 will be prioritising healthcare in particular,” the MOH expands. “There is a commitment to the attainment

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MISSIONPHARMA ZAMBIA

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issionpharma Zambia is here to make a difference. We aim to strengthen the national healthcare by providing tailored healthcare solutions throughout the country.

Trustful partnerships with a broad range of national stakeholders have made us one of Zambia’s premier distributors of quality pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and hospital equipment.

Our professional workforce has decades of experience and is here to assist you.

We look forward to welcoming you to our fully equipped hospital equipment showroom in Lusaka.

We want to accelerate the new Africa – and we have great ambitions for Zambian healthcare.

www.missionpharma.co.zm There is a huge emphasis on continuum of care

of equity and access to the most cost effective quality health services.”

The sector’s particular focus in this regard is the emphasis on a continuum of care, including promotional, preventative, curative and rehabilitation services. Looking forward it is possible that this continuum of care could be challenged by the burden of diseases in Zambia - which presently is very high and characterised by the emerging burden of the aforementioned non communicable diseases.

“The focus is to mitigate the challenges and improve health care services using Government developed policies,” affirms MOH. “Before the implementation of the 1991 National Health Policies and Strategies, the Government had been using the Public Health Act as guidance; however the successive National Development Plans have excellent guides to healthcare.”

The country has been particularly

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HETERO

The focus is to mitigate the challenges and improve health care services using Government developed policies

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etero is one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies and one of the world’s largest global producers of anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Established in 1993, the Company is in the business of development, manufacturing and marketing of drug intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and finished dosages.

The Company has over 25 state-of-theart manufacturing facilities which have been approved by various regulatory authorities around the world. With over 200 products in its portfolio across various therapeutic areas, the Company has a strong global presence in over 120 countries.

T +91 40 237 04923-28 E access@heterodrugs.com

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We accelerate the new Africa

Dedicated to better healthcare in Zambia Your local partner for professional healthcare solutions to the public and private sector.

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Missionpharma Zambia Ltd. Plot No. 8621 路 Njanshinshi Road 路 Off Los Angeles Road Lusaka 路 Zambia Tel.: +260 211 289 665/685 or +260 211 841 014 info@missionpharma.co.zm 路 www.missionpharma.co.zm

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focused on developing and implementing this successive Nation Health Strategic Plan since 1995.

However, over such a long period of time, changes in the political, economic, social, technological and epidemiological profile of the country have posed new challenges for the sector.

MOH continues: “From 1995 to date, our Government has developed national policy specific steps towards better healthcare, however, the lack of an overarching National Health Policy is a gap that will need to be filled through developments in the future.”

Zambia’s National Health Policy for Zambia seeks to respond to these challenges, many of which are already being worked on in the context of Vision 2030, taking into consideration other relevant national, regional and global health related policies, protocols and strategic frameworks - including Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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Health of individuals is determined by the local environment

Environment and circumstance

As we move forward and expand, it is pivotal to provide the right education to equip people with the knowledge and skills that they will need

Developments are Government driven

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Even with all of the developments in policies driven by the Zambian Government to positively impact healthcare, the health of individuals and communities is to a large extent, determined by the environments and circumstances in which they both live and operate.

“Included within these factors are the social and economic environment in which people live, the physical environment, the individuals characteristics, behaviour and circumstances,” explains MOH. “These are commonly referred to as the determinants of health, or the conditions in which people will be healthy or unhealthy.

“These factors, such as the state of the persons surrounding environment, standards of which they reside in, access to food and essential nutrition, levels of education, physical activity and attitudes towards seeking help with their health will have a huge

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impact on their health.”

It is in cases such as this, that the importance of education and in particular education in health is ever increasingly important, with learning being among the major determinants of health and development in Zambia.

“As we move forward and expand, it is pivotal to provide the right education to equip people with the knowledge and skills that they will need to access and understand information on health - including their personal health and that of those around them,” concludes MOH. “General education will also increase the opportunities for job and income security, which will have a direct impact of health and wellbeing.

“It is very important to us that we continue to assist in this development of healthcare and the education surrounding it, not only providing help for our generation, but for many years to come.”

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Ministry of Health Ndeke House, Haile Selassie Avenue, PO Box, 30205, Lusaka.

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