Training for Health Supply Chain Leaders in Malawi

The Global Fund Strategy 2017-2022 Investing to End Epidemics, was developed under the leadership of the Board of the Global Fund, with contributions from numerous partners and stakeholders who share common goals in global health. Over a two-year period, in 2014 and 2015, the Board’s Strategy, Investment and Impact Committee led a broadly consultative process to collect the strongest ideas, perspective and guidance to formulate the Strategy.

The core objectives of the Global Fund 2017-2022 Strategy are to:

• Maximize impact against HIV, TB and Malaria
• Build Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health
• Promote and Protect Human Rights and Gender Equality
• Mobilize Increased Resources

Building resilient and sustainable systems for health are crucial to ensuring that people have access to effective, efficient, and accessible services through well-functioning and responsive health and community systems. The existence of strong systems for health is essential to making progress against HIV, TB and malaria, and to ensuring that countries can address the varied health challenges they face from reproductive, men’s, women’s, children’s, and adolescent health, to global health security threats, to non-communicable diseases.

Malawi’s Context

Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) is a Government of Malawi (GOM) agency that was established to ensure efficient, sustainable and economical national procurement, warehousing, sales and distribution of quality and affordable medicines and medical supplies to Public Health Facilities and Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) Hospitals throughout the country.

Over the last two years, the Global Fund has been supporting the CMST with technical assistance, in order to transform the CMST and the Malawi public health sector generally to excellent and sustainable performance. This transformation is ongoing, with the current technical assistance provided through the Project Management Team (PMT) embedded in CMST to support the transformation.

To further support the capacity strengthening of CMST, the executive managers will benefit from an executive training program, accompanied by a study tour within Eastern or Southern Africa regions, to exchange experiences with their peers.

Project Goal and Objectives

The main objective is to ensure that dedicated supply chain leaders and Human Resources are in place at all levels of the health system, with the right capabilities, authority and accountability in Malawi.

The main objectives of the training are to help CMST and Ministry of health Executive Managers lead the supply chain transformation over the next few years, combining traditional learning with on-the job training, to help participants develop their problem-solving skills and foster effective team building approaches. The training program is aimed to strengthen the managers skills and competencies in the following areas:

1. To be champions and lead the supply chain transformation activities as detailed in the transformation roadmap for Malawi public supply chain.
2. Build and Lead Effective teams;
3. Turn CMST into client-centric, efficient organization;
4. Manage challenges brought about by rapid technological changes and other challenges;
5. Understand the role of ethics, good-governance and anti-corruption measures;
6. Develop and implement effective strategies for improved and effective communication;
7. Develop and implement risk management strategies.

The main objectives of the study tour within the region is to help CMST and MOH leaders benchmark and learn from peers in same industry, within the southern or eastern Africa region. Two MOH senior leaders from HTSS, one from PIU and and 7 CMST senior managers and board members will participate. This will foster continued collaboration, mentorship and adopting best practices.

Scope of Work (SoW)

The following is the scope of work and key deliverables:

1. Mobilisation, program design and training implementation

• Mobilization and program design, in coordination with the Global Fund and consultation with CMST.
• Selection and provision of trainers, development of training materials and manuals, taking into consideration participant expectation
• Conduct training module 1:
  • Building and Leading Effective teams;
  • Turning an organization into a client-centric entity;
  • Managing challenges brought about by rapid technological changes and other changes;
  • Building strategic partnerships and collaborative networks e. Negotiation skills for positive impact
  • Effective communication skills
  • Knowledge management in the digital era
• Conduct training module 2:
  • Understanding the role of ethics, good-governance and anti-corruption measures;
  • Developing and implementing effective strategies for improved communication and conflict management;
  • Developing and implementing risk management strategies.
  • Organizational transformation and change management
  • Roles of change champions and leading by example
  • Top talent human resource attraction and retention strategies

2. Coordinating and conducting Study tour

• Coordinate study tour and arrange travel, accommodation and visit schedule, including coordination between CMST and the hosts, hotel arrangements and ground transport.
• Study tour will cover visit to central medical stores, discussions with senior management and tour of the facilities, downstream activities to experience distribution systems and data systems and partnerships with the private sector.
• Conduct Study tour and arrange logistics, include purchase of air tickets for 10 participants, provision of per diem for 3 nights based on standard UN rates
• Pair up peers to ensure follow up cross-coaching and continued networking
• Write study tour report, detailing the lessons learnt, challenges and follow up actions.

3. Mentorship program, Coaching, Assessment and Closeout

• Identification and pairing of peers from the collaborating regional organization
• Identification mentors from the private sector in Malawi and pairing with CMST senior managers
• Developing guidelines for private sector mentorship and peer coaching and identification of improvement projects for each participant o Remote coordination of on-job coaching and mentorship
• Conduct final assessment of the project and close out Conduct close out workshop Close out report writing

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