Content Director’s Word New Courses at the Centre Workshop on Global Standards, Traceability & Verification Immunization Supply Chain Management – Short Course Partnership with IVI Africa-Wide Post-Doctoral workshop EAC Procurement Model Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) Management training Research and Publications Upcoming Events Welcome to our quarterly Newsletter where we share with you our latest news and updates on our innovative programs and initiatives at the East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management (VIHSCM). EAC RCE -VIHSCM NEWSLETTER - 6th EDITION January—March 2023
DIRECTOR’S WORD Welcome to the 6th Edition of our Newsletter, where we share with you our latest news and updates on our innovative programs and initiatives at the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management (VIHSCM). As you may know, our Centre of Excellence mandated for driving excellence and innovation in the health supply chain management and talent development for vaccine & pharmaceutical manufacturing fields in the EAC region. This is largely done by responding to the existing performance challenges in the health supply chain management (HSCM) sector through generating knowledge and transforming such knowledge into policy and practice. Central to all this, is a team of experts who are passionate about their work and dedicated to finding solutions through a wide range of programs and initiatives designed to help individuals and the health sector across the region to achieve their full potential. Currently, our flagship program is our Master’s Degree in Health Supply Chain Management, which aims to help hundreds of students from the region to become top leaders in the field of health supply chain management, capable of finding solutions and evidence-based to respond to the topical issues of the region. As you read through this newsletter, you will see that our team of experienced trainers work closely with the students and other stakeholders across the globe to ensure that they obtain top quality knowledge and skills that would help them to address specific needs in their respective countries. In addition to the Master’s Degree in Health Supply Chain Management, the Centre also offers a range of specialized short courses and training programs, including immunization and health supply chain management and vaccines manufacturing among others (link). All the courses are interactive, engaging, and practical, with standardized real-world content and application. Nonetheless, all our work does not stop here. The team at the Centre is also actively involved in research and consulting services, working with various entities to identify areas for improvement and develop solutions that drive success within the health sector. Our team of researchers and consultants bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every project, and we are proud to have helped many entities in the EAC region achieve their aspirations. At the Centre, commitment to what we do is top on the agenda, and we believe this will help us drive excellence and innovation as mandated. We believe that everyone has the potential to succeed, and we are here to help strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes at various levels, which will ultimately improve the health and well-being of the people of East Africa. In nutshell, I wish to thank our partners and colleagues from EAC public universities for the unwavering support to the Centre. Special mention is reserved for German Development Cooperation through KfW that provides funding to the Centre and scholarships for our students. We look forward to working with you in driving the success of vaccines, immunization, and health supply chain management sector in the EAC region. Dr. Stephen Karengera, Director, EAC RCE-VIHSCM University of Rwanda
New Courses Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/ QC) Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs Master of Science (MSc) in Vaccinology. At the heart of the EAC RCE-VIHSCM is the need to keep developing skills of individuals in the field of Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management. In line with this, the Centre has initiated and developed new training programs related to Vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and Health Supply Chain Management. Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC), Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs, and Master of Science (MSc) in Vaccinology. The development of these programmes is being done in consultation with different expert stakeholders including Professors from RCE Collaborating Universities, research institutions and other Development Partners. Participants at the Msc. in Pharmaceutical QA/QC review workshop The M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program will equip students with the knowledge and skills to ensure that drugs and vaccines meet regulatory requirements and are safe for use. The M.Sc. in Regulatory Affairs program will prepare students to work in regulatory agencies responsible for ensuring the safety and efficacy of drugs and vaccines. The M.Sc. in Vaccinology program will provide students with in-depth knowledge of vaccine development, production, and use. Overall, the courses are designed to respond not only to the labour market but also the health supply chain management requirements across the EAC region. These will be backed up by short term courses, and trainings that would eventually improve the quality and access to vaccines, immunization, and health supply chain management in the East African region. LEARN ABOUT THE NEW COURSES AT THE CENTRE
KICK-OFF WORKSHOP ON GLOBAL STANDARDS On Monday 16th January, 2023, the Centre of Excellence on VIHSCM in collaboration with UNICEF Supply Division and GS1 Healthcare, kicked-off a workshop on Global Standards (GS1), Traceability and Verification System (TRVST) for vaccines & other health commodities. The workshop which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, brought together healthcare professionals from EAC National Medicines Regulatory Agencies (NRMAs), Central Medical Stores (CMS) and EPI Programmes, with an aim of upskilling them on how to secure the health supply chain and patient safety using Global Standards. Additionally, experts who spoke at the event included; Géraldine Lissalde-Bonnet, the GS1 VicePresident Healthcare, Nuran Idris, the GS1 Healthcare Manager for Africa, Max Kabalisa, the Digitalization and Traceability Manager at UNICEF Supply Division, Vincent Sabagirirwa, TRVST expert from UNICEF Country Office and Jose Edouard Munyangaju, Medicines Registration and Variation Assessment Analyst at the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority. “This indeed has been an enriching week for beneficiaries of the week-long training on Global Standards, Traceability and Verification System (TRVST)”, said Dr. Eunice Gathitu representing the Republic of Kenya Ministry of Health. “We are really ready to work together and look forward to starting the journey. she added. GS1 TRVST -trainees’ visit to the Rwanda National Vaccines Warehouse Participants inside the vaccines storage facility
IMMUNISATION SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT It is widely acknowledged that under-vaccination has several causes including the immunization services (access, quality of care and convenience) and parental knowledge and attitudes (this partly relates to quality of care and impacts on demand). This therefore implies that supply chain interventions can significantly improve coverage for the uptake of vaccines and the entire health supply chain of related products and services. Given this context, the EAC RCE-VIHSCM remains committed to supporting member states in identifying training requirements, prioritizing them, and facilitating the delivery of these trainings in order to bridge the skills gap which heavily affects the healthcare and supply chain sector. The EAC RCE-VIHSCM has thus developed an in-country short course titled ‘Immunization Supply Chain Management (iSC) to prepare trainees to understand the basic elements involved in immunisation supply chain at all levels. This shortcourse has subsequently been offered in all EAC Partner States, to benefit trainees who oversee the daily operations of the supply chain management for vaccines and immunizations. Health professionals at the workshop in Musanze District Given the changing dynamics of the health supply chain management and the advancement of technology, EAC RCE-VIHSCM organized a workshop from 23rd to 26th January, 2023 in Musanze district, to review and harmonize training materials for the existing shortcourse on Immunisation Supply Chain Management (iSC) for EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunisation) Staff in all EAC Partner States. It is designed to increase capacity of Immunisation Managers/EPI Staff that manage vaccines & immunization supply chain activities on a daily basis for informed performance in the field of Vaccines.
EAC RCE-VIHSCM PARTNERSHIP WITH IVI On Thursday, February 9th 2023, the EAC RCEVIHSCM witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Rwanda (UR) and the International Vaccines Institute (IVI) aimed at boosting capacity building and scientific research. The signing ceremony was presided over by the UR Vice Chancellor, Dr. Didas Kayihura, and the Director General, Jerome Kim and witnessed by the Chair of IVI Board of Trustees, George Bickerstaff, the IVI Deputy DG, Dr. T. Anh Wartel and University of Rwanda officials. The MoU will allow the two institutions to share knowledge and resources, which will help to strengthen the research capacity of the EAC RCE -VIHSCM. IVI delegates with University of Rwanda officials in group in photo Speaking during the signing ceremony, the University of Rwanda Vice Chancellor, Dr. Didas Kayihura, expressed his gratitude to the IVI for partnering with the EAC RCEVIHSCM. “The MoU is a significant milestone in the efforts to boost the capacity of the Center to undertake critical research and provide quality training to its students. On his part, the IVI Director General, Jerome Kim expressed his optimism that the collaboration would result in significant advancements in vaccine manufacturing, research and development in Rwanda. “Technology transfer is paramount to improving vaccine access and reduced prices of vaccines”, he highlighted. The IVI delegation also had an opportunity to meet EAC RCE-VIHSCM students who are currently pursuing the Master’s Program in Health Supply Chain Management. The students were excited to interact with the IVI experts, who shared their experiences in vaccine capacity building, research and development. Rwanda joined the IVI as the 38th member state since June 3, 2022. IVI is a non-profit international organization headquartered in Seoul, Korea, established in 1997 as a UNDP initiative dedicated to vaccines and vaccination for global health. VC university of Rwanda sign an MOU with DG of IVI
AFRICA-WIDE POST-DOCTORAL WORKSHOP Participants at the Workshop As the pharmaceutical and vaccine production industry advances across the globe, the need for Africa to increase its domestic capacity in terms of knowledge and skills is critical to the development and production of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products in order to prevent future health security risks. In response to this, the EAC RCE-VIHSCM together with DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID), in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa organized the first Africa-wide hybrid post-doctoral workshop on enhancing research and transferable skills in the area of vaccine production and innovation. The hybrid workshop which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 2nd to 3rd March, 2023 was designed to bring together postdoctoral scholars from the EAC region and beyond, with a specific focus on pharmaceutical and vaccine production. It kicked off with remarks from Dr Stephen Karengera, Director of the University of Rwanda EAC RCE-VIHSCM, Mr. Jean-Olivier Schmidt, Head of Programme BACKUP Health at GIZ and Prof. Padmashree Gehl Sampath, the AVPA (Accelerating Vaccine Production in Africa) Programme Director and Honorary Professor at the University of Rwanda. Mr. Jean-Olivier Schmidt hailed the workshop as a good start to building a meaningful network on vaccine production in Africa. He added that after the COVID 19 crisis, the Germany Government committed to investing more in partnerships and funding to promote local vaccines production in Africa. “On many levels, we are dialoguing with partners and experts like GAVI, African Union, Africa CDC and strengthening the University network to have more people join the discussion”, he noted. Participants appreciated to hear from renowned experts in vaccine production and innovation who shared their experiences and vast knowledge on topics such as Vaccines production and safety, efficacy and clinical research, good manufacturing practices, intellectual property landscape in Africa, regulatory requirements and setting up vaccine production facilities. Further, the workshop provided an excellent platform for postdoctoral scholars from the EAC region and beyond to learn, network, and collaborate on ways of enhancing vaccine production and innovation for Africa. “African researchers with interest in the vaccines and pharmaceutical production field deserve more workshop trainings to advance the production on the continent. We benefited skills from this workshop”. Dr. Jean Paul Sinumvayo expressed. Generally, the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunisation and Health Supply Chain Management (EAC RCE-VIHSCM) is committed to conducting similar trainings in the future.
POOLED PROCUREMENT FOR ESSENTIAL MEDICINES The East African Community Secretariat in collaboration with EAC RCE-VIHSCM at the University of Rwanda are working to develop a detailed operationalization model for EAC pooled procurement that will efficiently address the region's procurement needs for essential medicines. This is in line with the need for EAC to strengthen local pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing in the region through the use of pooled procurement. The initiative is being done with funding from BMZ (Germany) through KfW. Subsequently, several consultative meetings have been conducted to develop and finalize the EAC Pooled Procurement model. The most recent meeting on this initiative, held in Entebbe, Uganda from 13th – 15th March 2023, brought together experts from the EAC Partner States in charge of Policy and Planning and/or Procurement; National Medical Stores; National Medicines Regulatory Authorities; and National Public Procurement Authorities in the Ministries responsible for Health; Officers from the Ministries responsible for Finance and Economic Planning as well as those from the Ministries responsible for EAC Affairs. In the meeting, participants reviewed the EAC Pooled Procurement Market Survey Report and Model, identified gaps, and proposed recommendations for further steps to start the information sharing phase. Once finalized and operationalized, the EAC Pooled Procurement Model is expected to reduce the cost of medicines and vaccines, increase efficiency in procurement, and ensure timely delivery of essential medicines to the population. Participants at the Pooled Procurement Model Workshop
UPSKILLING AT EAC RCE - VIHSCM At the EAC RCE VIHSCM, we believe that continuous upskilling is not only an effective way to maintain and increase competitiveness but also to enhance knowledge and skills in order to respond to the changing global context especially in the health supply chain management space. With this in mind, the Centre implements upskilling programmes through internships, site visits, and exchange programmes to enhance practical exposure to the changing realities. Currently, the EAC RCE VIHSCM is partnering with regional and international pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers and regulators to strengthen upskilling initiatives by the Centre. These upskilling interventions started with supporting EAC delegates to attend the Global VAX Vaccine Manufacturing Workshop that was organized by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)’s Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) Program in collaboration with its South African partners. This upskilling consisted of workshops and site visits to South African vaccine manufacturing facilities, with the aim of developing the vaccine manufacturing competency of various stakeholders, including regulators, academia, and manufacturing industry. The target audience for this upskilling workshop included national medicines regulatory agencies (NMRAs), vaccine manufacturing industry, as well as academic institutions. Participants had time to visit the Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, the WHOsupported COVID mRNA Technology Transfer Hub and Biovac vaccine manufacturing plant. In the near future, the EAC RCE-VIHSCM is planning to conduct the following upskilling workshops namely; Global Bio Manufacturing Workforce Training in collaboration with the International Vaccine Institute; Clinical Trial Authorization training in collaboration with Ghana Food and Drugs Authority; and Analytical Techniques training in collaboration with the Quality Control Laboratory of the School of Pharmacy at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), the first of its nature that is WHO prequalified laboratory. EAC delegates at the Global VAX Vaccines Manufacturing Workshop
COLD CHAIN EQUIPMENT (CCE) COURSE Given the need to respond to the demand of changing circumstances, new approaches and technologies in the Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management area, the EAC RCE-VIHSCM is continuously exploring possibilities of developing new and innovative training and short-term professional courses. In this regard, a new short course on the Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) Management and remote temperature monitoring was introduced on the EAC RCE-VIHSCM list of courses to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working in this field. The course started off with a Training of Trainers (TOT) in Nairobi, Kenya from 6th – 15th March, 2023, and was facilitated by Experts from the India National Cold Chain Resource Centre (NCCRC). Attended by 21 participants from EAC partner states, the ToT aimed at creating a pool of potential trainers on effective CCE management. The ToT was followed by the CCE Management and remote temperature monitoring training, which started on March 27th ending April 7th, 2023. Participants attending the training were drawn from EAC Partner States and are mainly professionals responsible for CCE and remote temperature monitoring in their various countries. Thus, the training comes at a time when it is highly needed in the EAC region. It is largely seen as a catalyst for ensuring that professionals working in this field are well equipped with knowledge in CCE Management and remote temperature monitoring.
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS BY RCE—STUDENTS The EAC RCE-VIHSCM aims to aid research efforts that produce valuable insights and disseminate knowledge that informs best practices for vaccine, immunization, health supply chain management. As part of this effort, the Regional Centre of Excellence supports its students in getting their work published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice (JPPP). We are delighted to report that seven articles authored by students from our third intake have already been published in the JPPP thematic series Health supply chain management (biomedcentral.com), with several more in progress. Below is a list of Manuscripts that have recently been published in the BMC Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. Mfizi E, Niragire F, Bizimana T, Mukanyangezi MF. Analysis of pharmaceutical inventory management based on ABC-VEN analysis in Rwanda: a case study of Nyamagabe district. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2023;16 (1):1-6. Nyirimanzi JD, Ngenzi J, Kagisha V, Bizimana T, Kayitare E. Assessment of medicines cold chain storage conformity with the requirements of the World Health Organization in health facilities of the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2023;16(1):1-10. Sinnei DK, Karimi PN, Maru SM, Karengera S, Bizimana T. Evaluation of vaccine storage and distribution practices in rural healthcare facilities in Kenya. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2023;16(1):1-7. Tumwine Y, Rajab K, Kutyabami P, Nyandwi JB, Asingizwe D. Cold chain management practices of non-vaccine commodities in public health facilities of Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2023;16(1):1-9. Shabani JBB, Kayitare E, Nyirimigabo E, Habyalimana V, Murindahabi MM, Ntirenganya L, et al. The capacity of young national medicine regulatory authorities to ensure the quality of medicines: case of Rwanda. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2022;15(1):1-8. Nestory B, Anasel M, Nyandwi JB, Asingizwe D. Vaccine management practices among healthcare workers in Morogoro, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2022;15(1):95. Githinji F, Maru SM, Karimi PN, Rutungwa E, Kayitare E. Factors affecting provision of female family planning commodities in public health facilities in Kajiado county, Kenya. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. 2022;15(1):1-6.
Upcoming Events Workshop to develop the Curriculum for MSc. in Vaccinology (15th to 19th May 2023) Development of a new course on Global Standards, Traceability and Verification Systems (TRVST) for vaccines. In-country short course on Cold Chain Equipment Management and Remote Temperature Monitoring for Rwanda, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania (between April-June 2023) About EAC RCE-VIHSCM The (EAC) Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunisation and Health Supply Chain Management (RCE-VIHSCM) is one of four African Centres of Excellence (ACEs) housed at the University of Rwanda. Our vision is to become an autonomous, wellrecognized, top-class, regional knowledge hub, providing high-quality pre- and in-service training and disseminating best practices in vaccines, immunization and health supply chain management. Our mission is to contribute to solving existing performance challenges of the health supply chain management (HSCM) system in the EAC region through the generation of knowledge and its translation into research, policy and practice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.- - - - - - - EacRce Vihscm https://hscm.ur.ac.rw [email protected] @EacRceVihscm EacRce-Vihscm EacRce-Vihscm