Clinicians from rural health facilities in the Western Highlands now have a better understanding of how to order medical consumables and drugs from the Highlands regional Area Medical Stores (AMS) in Mt Hagen.
This follows their attendance of a week-long training course on Medical Supply Management and Procurement, conducted jointly by AMS and the United Nations Family Planning Association (UNFPA) which funded it.
It was conducted in Mt Hagen in August and attended by selected clinicians from both rural and urban health facilities, owned and operated by the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority, Churches and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
The training was basically to upskill the clinicians on the best methods of ordering drugs and how to properly manage their use at their respective facilities.
Dr Titi of UNFPA who led the training team thanked the participants for making themselves available and added that the week-long training had been very eventful.
She said the participants had actively participated in questions and answers sessions as well as in other discussions and she was sure they were fully equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to go back and do their supply ordering more effectively.
Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority’s Director for Clinical Excellence, Training and Research, Dr Paulus Ripa when closing the workshop thanked UNFPA for facilitating and funding the training.
Dr Ripa said in the absence of pharmacists in the rural facilities, these clinicians needed such training and he also thanked the National Department of Health and AMS for organising such an important training workshop.
He told the trainers, particularly UNPFA that he was sure the clinicians were happy to learn and acquire such new skills to help them in ordering and managing their drug supplies and he thanked the participants for actively participating in the training.
“Procurement is a problem but those of us who order drugs must be responsible for how we order, manage and use them in our respective facilities”, he told the participants.
He further told them that they all came from health facilities that were operated by different organisations including churches and NGOs and the WHPHA would issue a catalogue for their respective facilities on what they could order from the Area Medical Store.
He added that with no pharmacists in the rural facilities, these clinicians had done well and the training would further enhance their knowledge and skills on how and what they needed to order to meet the needs of their patients.
