Sr. Theresa Kitandwe, Mubende RRH TB unit In-charge, shares her experience in improving the hospital TB cure rate from 33% -75% within 8 months

At Entebbe General Hospital (GH) in Central Uganda, integration of 5S (Set, Sort, Shine, Standardize and Sustain) and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approaches into the healthcare service delivery system registered remarkable improvements in provision of services to HIV-infected mothers and their babies.

According to the Uganda Health Demographic Survey (2011), a significant proportion—up to 44% men and 25% of women—have never had an HIV test, although more than 90% of Ugandans know about the importance of HIV testing and where they can access testing services. Consequently, most are less likely to know their HIV status.

On January 30, 2014, the USAID Strengthening Uganda’s Systems for Treating AIDS Nationally (SUSTAIN) programme provided a small fleet of vehicles to the Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH) to support activities of seven Regional Medical Equipment Maintenance Workshops. The seven vehicles will provide transport to the workshop teams, allowing them to conduct routine repairs, maintenance and servicing of various medical equipment in the Arua, Fort Portal, Gulu, Hoima, Kabale, Lira and Mbale regions.

For Regional Referral and General Hospitals, which continue to experience large client numbers in HIV clinics, effective client flow systems will further improve the quality and efficiency of services. In close partnership with Ministry of Health (MOH), the USAID Strengthening Uganda’s Systems for Treating AIDS Nationally (SUSTAIN) program strengthens healthcare service provider skills through training, mentoring/coaching and support supervision for quality HIV service delivery.

Activity date: November 18^th to 30^th, 2013

Assessment locations: Moroto, Soroti, Mbale, Lira, Gulu, Hoima, Fort Portal, Kabale, Mubende and Jinja Regional Referral Hospitals

Uganda’s health sector, like in many developing countries, has faced challenges related to staffing and human resources management that affect productivity and efficiency of service delivery. For the USAID SUSTAIN project, improving human resources and staff engagement directly translates into better service delivery for quality HIV/AIDS interventions.

Hospital staff at USAID SUSTAIN-supported healthcare facilities are finding the use of short text message (SMS) reminders effective in improving reporting and ordering for medicines and health supplies.

In Uganda, facilities receive hard copy order and delivery schedules from the National Medical Store (NMS) to enable them to track delivery dates, plan, and prepare medicine orders before the deadline. In most facilities, it is common practice to find NMS order schedules pinned on the walls in the store rooms. Though the printed schedules act as a constant reminder to hospital staff to track order submission dates, the rate of ordering and reporting countrywide has remained low.

4^th November 2013, Gulu, Uganda.