USAID/Deliver project ends

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project, dubbed the “Deliver Project”, has ended after 10-years of implementation to improve health systems in Ghana through stronger supply chains to clients and customers.

The project, which was a collaboration between the USAID, the Ministry of Health and other development partners, have been implemented through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) since 2007, to increase the availability of essential public health supplies to health care providers and consumers through procurement and delivery of high-quality supplies.

It has also succeeded in strengthening the national supply chains and their policy environment and increased national and international commitment to supply availability as a critical component of quality health care.

Mr Egbert Bruce, the USAID/Deliver Country Director, in a presentation at the end of project ceremony in Accra on Monday, said the project has provided capacity training for the required human resource in public health supply chain management, for effective record keeping.

It has also succeeded in designing, developing, strengthening, and on request operated a safe, reliable and sustainable supply systems that provide a wide range of affordable essential health commodities, including drugs and diagnostics to clients.

The project, he said has worked on a range of health supplies, including contraceptives and condoms, malaria treatment medicines, insecticides treated bed nets, and rapid diagnostic tests essential medicines, and also selected commodities for HIV and AIDS, maternal and child health, incautious diseases, avian influenza among other emerging pandemic threats.

He said among the achievements was the National Malaria Control Programme, which targeted the eradication of malaria through the nationwide distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to households as a key strategy for malaria prevention.

Mr Bruce said the project worked with the MOH to ensure the sustainability of the quantification of malaria, HIV and AIDS, Family Planning and nutrition commodities, by preparing accurate forecasts and supply plans for procurement of public health commodities, and develop guidelines, institutionalized the process and transfer skills to support the health system of the country.

Mr Andrew Karas, the USAID Mission Director, commended the MOH and its partners for effective collaboration that has resulted in the various successes achieved under the project.

He said although the project has ended, the USAID remains committed to enhance Ghana’s health care by initiating other projects to take off from where Deliver left off, to ensure the sustainability of the gains made so far.