Jessica believes that ‘continued ‘South to South’ cooperation in the region can foster stronger relationships and increase the potential for healthcare workforce mobilisation in the Pacific’.   

Everyone in the Pacific benefits when Pacific islands can request staff support with broader experience and knowledge during staff shortages, emergencies, and crises and to support health campaign rollouts. Exchanging skills and staff within the Pacific has the added benefit of cultural understanding and nuance. This knowledge shortens the learning curve in a new setting for staff with greater familiarity with similar healthcare challenges. 

The regional skill exchanges work towards cultural and contextual understanding. They focus on respect for national sovereignty and shared responsibility, strengthening the region’s healthcare systems. 

Knowing how to communicate culturally and speak with a regional voice is more likely to lead to real and effective change, even in the diverse language and cultural systems of the Pacific region. 

‘Knowing the software is one thing, but looking around and seeing what can be improved diplomatically so that real change happens is important too’, says Elizabeth Bryson, who visited Niue on the DTAC program skills exchange from the Cook Islands. In April, DTAC invited Elizabeth to visit Niue to support the move from paper to digitisation of their pharmacy systems by implementing mSupply. 

 Elizabeth arrived in Niue with the public health team and got straight into the stocktake of one of their three locations. She met with the pharmacy team and had many suggestions to help to create a safer and more efficient workplace, skills she had already learned from her work in the Cook Islands.

As a champion of change, Elizabeth believes that ‘’Building relationships is so important across the Pacific.’ She never imagined that she would ever visit Niue to support their health system, but now she can see that it is a practical solution with so much to gain from both sides. She takes with her skills and knowledge that will impact a project she is working on in the outer islands of her country, where the medicine supply can be difficult to manage. 

Elizabeth hopes that regional collaboration can continue between countries in the Pacific and that she can take the lessons learned from her experience to continue to strengthen health systems in the Cook Islands. She can see that the much more isolated Niue and outer Cook Islands have some similarities – and she now has some insight into possible problems and solutions because of her experience with skills exchange in Niue. 

BES and the mSupply Foundation support the Pacific skills exchange through peer-to-peer networks between PICTs with the support of DFAT and MFAT.

Elizabeth Bryson (The Cook Islands Ministry of Health) and Jessica Jago (DTAC) enjoy beautiful Niue in between stocktakes. The Pharmacy Dispensary Team: Ebony Feleti and Seddon Paka with Elizabeth Bryson from the Cook Islands Ministry of Health. The Public Health and Nursing Team, organising a stocktake of their medical consumables: Andy Manu, Reuben Siataga with nurse, Fonokalafi Moleni, and Jessica Jago (DTAC Project Manager). Ebony Feleti, organising the pharmacy. Team photo celebrating the launch of mSupply for the Public Health Department in Niue. Jessica Jago and Elizabeth Bryson after a long day of stocktake. Nurse, Fonokalafi Moleni in the pharmacy.

Sam Samba, Mathew Miria, and Yu Par Min Lwin achieved the three highest scores out of 500 participants from around the world last year, showing their outstanding dedication to the course and deep engagement with the materials. We spoke to them about the projects they’re involved with and the importance of the course for their work.

Yu Par Min Lwin

Yu Par Min Lwin  is a Senior Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) Officer for the Chemonics International GHSC-PSM Project, providing technical support for mSupply users throughout Myanmar including their National AIDS, TB, and Malaria Programs.

Mathew Miria

Mathew Miria works with World Vision PNG as the Eastern Highlands & New Guinea Islands Regional Coordinator for TB/HIV Supplies.

MSupply is the main system Mathew and his team use to manage shipments of TB/HIV medical commodities. Some of the tasks they perform through mSupply include making stock and inventory adjustments, creating pick-slips, confirming invoices, attending to requisition orders, running stocktakes, and providing reports. It is used on a daily basis.

“The course helped me to understand and appreciate the overall importance of using the system. It captures everything and provides the ‘Information/Reporting’ needed with regards to TB/HIV supplies.”

Sam Samba

Our very top score came from Sam Samba, a Senior Analyst for the Clinton Health Access Initiative. 

Sam has been using mSupply as a LMIS Officer and National Administrator for mSupply in Sierra Leone. He supported implementation of mSupply at their medical warehouses, and is responsible for the creation of accounts, amongst many other tasks.

“The course is extremely impactful, as I have gained more knowledge about mSupply and am hoping to learn more.”

BES supports health supply chains across the Pacific, helping to implement systems to improve access to medicines across all levels of each health system. The champions of those supply chains, though, are our local counterparts who work hard every day in warehouses, trucks, offices, and pharmacies to improve the lives of others. Upskilling and empowering these local counterparts brings context and sustainability that we could never hope to achieve on our own. A new initiative we are supporting are the DTAC Scholarships, awarded to Pacific Islanders based on annual applications by anyone working in a public health supply chain.

Last week we caught up with Bettina Ereinao (Honiara, Solomon Islands), one of the star recipients of the two 2021 DTAC Scholarships. Bettina has gone from strength to strength since joining the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health over 10 years ago, and we’re so proud to share a little about her recent experience.

Firstly, a little background on the project: in 2020, BES partnered with the mSupply Foundation to run the supply chain Data and Technical Assistance Centre (DTAC) across six Pacific Island Countries and Territories, with a goal to improve health outcomes in Polynesia by increasing access to quality essential medicines and strengthening supply chain systems. Funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, DTAC aims to support member countries in setting, meeting and surpassing minimum regional standards in essential medicines access, health supply chains and digital health systems.

Last year, we announced that DTAC would support two emerging professionals in the Pacific region to undertake a health supply chain course provided by the Empower School of Health. The scholarship enabled successful applicants to complete a short course of their choice, with the opportunity to expand their knowledge in topics such as procurement, inventory management, rational use of medicines, and international career development.

After receiving one of the scholarships, Bettina selected the Certificate in PSM (procurement and supply chain management) Support Functions and Systems, which she completed in June this year.

The certificate is self-paced and entirely online, broken down into seven chapters of pre-recorded lectures and a final assessment. Students are introduced to critical functions of procurement and supply chain management, as well as learning practical approaches to pharmaceutical quality assurance, and the financial impact of PSM.

Completing this course is a real testament to Bettina’s self-discipline and drive: many of us know how learning in a virtual classroom is a challenge in itself, but Bettina was also tuning in from a remote location in the midst of a national COVID19 outbreak, and came down with the virus herself during her studies.

Since receiving the certificate, Bettina has already stepped up to a Customer Service Pharmacy Officer position at the National Medical Stores Hospital in Honiara, a vital role in the delivery of medical supplies throughout the country. “The course was timely for me,” Bettina says, “as I’ve gained more knowledge about supply chain and procurement, which will help me a lot in my work. My interest in supply chain management in medical supplies has grown.”

We extend our huge congratulations to Bettina on her amazing achievements this year, and wish her success in her new role at NMS. Watch out for Bettina’s webinar and blog post for DTAC as she shares her knowledge with colleagues across the region.