Securing Ugandans’ Right to Essential Medicines (SURE) Program

The program aims to ensure that Uganda's population has access to good quality essential medicines and health supplies. The SURE program is implemented by Management Sciences for Health in collaboration with Euro Health Group, Fuel Group/Pharmaceutical Healthcare Distributors-RTT, Makerere University, and the Infectious Disease Institute. The program's objectives include improving Uganda's policy, legal, and regulatory framework to produce pharmaceutical supply chain stability and sustainability, improving the capacity and performance of central government entities to carry out their supply chain management responsibilities, and improving the capacity and performance of districts, health sub-districts, and implementing partners in their supply chain management roles. The program's scope encompasses the development of a functional supply chain system serving Uganda's central and local healthcare levels with the necessary tools, approaches, skills, and coordinating mechanisms. The SURE program has made significant progress in achieving its objectives. In the area of government commitment to improving health commodities financing, the program has developed an information system for tracking financing and EMHS funding, conducted a financial assessment of EMHS utilization, and prioritized resources for greater health impact. The program has also revised the legal, regulatory, and policy framework to promote cost-effective, efficient, equitable, and appropriate use of available funds and health commodities. In terms of improving capacity and performance of central government entities, the program has supported the National Medical Stores (NMS) in procuring, storing, and distributing national EMHS, improved the capacity of MoH program managers and technical staff to plan and monitor national EMHS, and supported the development of pre-service training programs for health workers. The program has also improved the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the supply chain system through innovative approaches, such as supporting the Uganda Medicines Therapeutic Advisory Committee and the Quantification and Procurement Planning Unit. At the district level, the program has improved the capacity of target districts and health facilities in planning, distribution, managing, and monitoring EMHS, implemented the supervision, performance, and reward strategy (SPARS), and introduced new district communication and technology. The program has also improved the capacity of selected implementing partners in quantifying, managing, and monitoring EMHS, and built the capacity of storekeepers. Overall, the SURE program has made significant progress in improving access to EMHS through innovative district-level interventions, such as instituting good pharmacy practices certification. The program's monitoring and evaluation framework has been established, and progress against planned activities has been summarized in the annex. The program's management structure has been established, with a program implementation and staff recruitment plan in place. Short-term technical assistance has been provided, and finance management has been implemented. The program's progress against planned activities has been summarized in the annex, and the acronyms and abbreviations used in the report have been listed.