US Government donates Motorcycles and computers to Ministry of Health

The United States government donated motorcycles and laptop computers to Uganda's Ministry of Health as part of its ongoing effort to strenghten the health commodity supply chain system and improve the health status of Ugandans.

The U.S Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Deborah Malac, handed the equipment to the Ministry of Health, Hon Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, at a ceremony at the UNHLS headquaters. In her remarks, Ambassador Malac said, "Over the years, the US government has been a key partner in supporting the modernization of the health commodities supply chain in Uganda. Since 2009, we have made several major investments in the supply chain system at both the national and subnational levels. All of this assistance is aimed at ensuring that the people of Uganda get the drugs and laboratory supplies they need in a fast and efficient manner."

A total of 156 motorcycles and 97 computers were handed over to Uganda National Health Laboratories to support the implementation of the Medicines and Laboratory SPARS(Supervision Performance Assessment and Rewards Strategy), a key tenet of health systems strengthening. SPARS is a quality improvement approach that combines a number of interventions with regular performance assessments to improve logistics management. The motorcycles and computers will enable supervisors to reach facilities and submit performance data for decision-making directly to the Ministry of Health.

The donation was made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID's Uganda Health Supply Chain Program, which is implemented by Management Sciences for Health. The program helps the Ministry of Health improve the health of Ugandans by invreasing the availability, affordability, accessibility and appropriate use of good quality essential medicines and health supplies. This equipment will enable districts to continue SPARS implementation after the program closes in September 2019.