Mid-term reviews of COVID-19 Emergency Response Projects have been completed in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Samoa between April and June 2022. Overall, implementation is progressing satisfactorily, despite delays caused in part by COVID community transmission in all three countries. These projects, which started in 2020, complement the immediate pandemic preparedness and response efforts of the respective governments and their development partners. Analytical work funded by the Advance UHC Multi-Donor Trust Fund (Advance UHC) is being used in each country to deepen engagement and improve health system and service outcomes linked to project investments.
In Kiribati, the government’s recent confirmation of a suitable site for building a new warehouse for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies means that work is now progressing on this much needed infrastructure. The Advance UHC-funded analytical work includes technical assistance to improve supply chain management of medical goods, helping to address bottlenecks in the use of the mSupply system and related integration of information and communication technology goods and services funded in part through the project. Drawing on a range of inputs from development partners, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) is making progress on the way medical supplies and equipment are managed so that there is more effective planning, budgeting, procurement, storage, distribution, reporting and review for ongoing learning and improvement.
In the Solomon Islands, the government has made good progress procuring a range of items such as laboratory consumables and waste management trucks, along with improving deployment of COVID vaccines, as part of its immediate COVID emergency response. The Advance UHC-funded analytical work continues to assist MHMS to strengthen its oversight of broader health sector performance so it can use this assessment of progress for making decisions in annual operational work plans and budgets to address priority needs. MHMS is looking at ways to improve the coordination of external support to maximize its use of all available resources.
In Samoa, the government has made good progress in the procurement of medical equipment and supplies including testing kits and reagents, personal protective items and medical waste management. Training for health workers on priority areas of COVID-19 response including case detection, management and treatment, infection prevention and control, and medical care waste management has also been conducted. Furthermore, Advance UHC funding is being used to support technical assistance for the review of laboratory biosafety procedures and regulations, the establishment of a disease surveillance system, and the completion of a joint external evaluation of international health regulation core capacities to strengthen Samoa’s preparedness for health emergencies.