Pharmaceutical system strengthening in Uganda: implementing a holistic, evidence-informed, long-term strategy

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Pharmaceutical Policy

Background:

• A robust pharmaceutical sector is crucial for effective healthcare and population health.
• The USAID-funded Securing Ugandans Rights to Essential Medicines (SURE) and Uganda Health Supply Chain (UHSC) programs partnered with Uganda's Ministry of Health.
• This collaboration, spanning over a decade, aimed to enhance the pharmaceutical sector.

Discussion:

• The SURE/UHSC program implemented comprehensive, multi-pronged interventions in Uganda's pharmaceutical sector.
• The partnership focused on building trust and leveraging long-term donor funding.
• Research was conducted to document the successes and failures of these interventions.

Key Insights:

• The long-term collaboration fostered significant changes within the pharmaceutical supply chain.
• Mutual trust and sustained funding were critical enablers of the program's success.
• Documenting both successes and failures provided valuable lessons for future health system strengthening initiatives.

Outlook:

• Continued investment in pharmaceutical systems is essential for sustainable health outcomes.
• The Ugandan model offers insights for other low- and middle-income countries seeking to improve medicine access.
• Future research should focus on the long-term impact and scalability of these interventions.