AID cooperative agreement no. AFR-0471-A-00-7060-00 to the MEDEX Group for a program to strengthen capabilities to implement and sustain health programs in Africa through improved management support for primary health care programs

Burns School of Medicine of the University of Hawaii (MEDEX) to improve operations-level management (OLM) of primary health care (PHC) programs in two selected anglophone African countries. The project will create a management development technology suitable for replication elsewhere in Africa, and will institutionalize this technology in both countries" Ministry of Health (MOH). MEDEX will develop and operationalize four distinct management technologies: (1) critical incident technology - a technique for analyzing analyze work-related events as a basis for rapid assessment of OLM needs; (2) distance learning technology - self-instructional books to train isolated OLM personnel who are scattered over large geographical areas; (3) case study technology - a methodology and tools for preparing and using written case studies based on trainees" actual experiences to develop fresh solutions to recurring OLM problems; and (4) resource allocation technology - a set of community investment indicators to help operations-level managers direct scarce health resources to various communities. Based on the above four technologies, MEDEX will institutionalize a comprehensive OLM technology into the two host country MOH"s. This process will entail: meetings and workshops for policymakers to discuss the benefits of OLM development as well as potential adjustments in health systems policies and procedures; assessment of the OLM support needed to achieve child survival and PHC objectives; redesign of organizational structures and OLM systems; and management training for all operations-level personnel.