Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Sustainable Drug Seller Initiatives (SDSI)

last updated Aug 17, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Management Science for Health (msh)
Implementation Partner(s): 
Ministry of Health
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Year Launched: 
2011
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Summary: 

Sustainable Drug Seller Initiatives (SDSI) is a Management Science for Health (MSH) coordinated project that works to expand access to medicines and treatment; and to solidify the global view that initiatives to strengthen the quality of pharmaceutical products and services provided by private sector drug sellers are feasible, effective, and sustainable in multiple settings.

Program goals/rationale: 

SDSI was established with an aim of:

  • Enhancing accredited drug seller initiatives’ long-term sustainability, contributions to community-based access to medicines and care, and ability to adapt to changing health needs and health system context.

  • Facilitating the spread of private-sector drug seller initiatives; as well as, defining and characterizing information related to consumer access and the use of medicines, and facilitating its use in developing public health policy, regulatory standards, and treatment guidelines.

Key program components: 

SDSI works to ensure the quality of Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets’ (ADDO) products and services, and to enhance ADDO's ability to adapt to changing needs like adding new roles and responsibilities, accommodating new community health care initiatives, and applying better decision making protocols.

As part of SDSI's objective to characterize both care-seeking behavior and the quality of ADDO services, the project follows up on referrals to determine health outcomes and possible barriers to seeking further care. In Uganda, the program provides technical support to help the government incorporate the accredited drug shop (ADS) concept into Ugandan laws and regulations; and support the National Drug Authority's efforts to fulfill its public health role in ensuring that ADS facilities, practices, and personnel meet established standards.

Program history: 

The Sustainable Drug Seller Initiatives (SDSI) program builds on the success of MSH’s Strategies for Enhancing Access to Medicines (SEAM) and East African Drug Seller Initiatives (EADSI); programs which focused on creating and implementing public-private partnerships using government accreditation to increase access to quality pharmaceutical products and services in underserved areas of Tanzania and Uganda.

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