IMPACT Project – Strengthening Pharmaceutical Care and Access to Quality Medicines in East Africa

Millions of people living in rural and underserved communities across East Africa continue to face barriers in accessing quality medicines and pharmaceutical care. Many health facilities operate without trained pharmaceutical personnel, leaving healthcare workers with limited pharmaceutical training to manage medicines, dispense treatments, and provide patient counselling. The Improving Pharmaceutical Access through Continuous Training (IMPACT) Project was established to address this challenge.

Implemented by the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) in partnership with the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), the Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) in Tanzania, and the Bureau des Formations Médicales Agréées du Rwanda (BUFMAR), the project is supported by action medeor and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The project is being implemented in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, where it seeks to strengthen pharmaceutical systems and improve access to safe, quality-assured medicines for rural populations.

The Challenge

Access to quality pharmaceutical services remains limited in many rural health facilities. Due to shortages of trained pharmacy personnel, medicines are often managed by healthcare workers without formal pharmaceutical training. This can contribute to medicine stock-outs, poor storage practices, inappropriate dispensing, inadequate patient counselling, and reduced treatment adherence. These challenges disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including older persons, who often require multiple medications and are at greater risk of medicine-related complications. At the same time, opportunities for practical pharmaceutical training and professional development for frontline healthcare workers remain limited.

Our Approach

The IMPACT Project strengthens the capacity of healthcare workers through practical, context-specific training and ongoing mentorship. Healthcare workers receive training in:

1. Medicine Supply Chain Management
2. Rational Use of Medicines
3. Dispensing Practices
4. Pharmaceutical Care and Patient Counselling
5. Pharmaceutical Needs of Older Persons

The project also strengthens advocacy and leadership capacity among implementing partners and healthcare professionals, enabling them to engage policymakers and advocate for improved pharmaceutical systems and access to quality medicines.

Creating Change at Facility Level

The project supports healthcare workers to develop and implement practical action plans tailored to their facility needs. Through training, mentorship, and supportive supervision, participating facilities are translating knowledge into measurable improvements in pharmaceutical care.

1. Improved medicine management: Medicines are now better organized, classified, and clearly labelled, improving stock control, accountability, and efficiency in pharmacy operations.
2. Strengthened governance systems: Facilities have established and operationalized Medicines and Therapeutics Committees (MTCs) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Committees to improve oversight and quality of care.
3. Enhanced patient counselling: Private dispensing booths installed at facilities such as Khalaba Health Center and Shisaba Dispensary have improved confidentiality during counselling and medicine dispensing.
4. Better treatment adherence: Improved counselling environments have encouraged greater patient engagement and adherence, particularly among patients requiring regular medication refills.
5. Stronger collaboration: Joint supervision and mentorship activities have strengthened coordination and knowledge sharing between public and faith-based health facilities.
6. Sustainable service improvements: Facility action plans continue to drive practical changes that enhance pharmaceutical service delivery and patient outcomes in underserved communities.

Strengthening Systems Through Partnership and Advocacy

Through this project, we recognize that sustainable change requires more than training alone. The project brings together governments, faith-based health networks, regulators, supply chain institutions, and development partners to address systemic barriers affecting access to quality medicines and pharmaceutical care. Through policy dialogue forums, advocacy engagements, and cross-country learning exchanges, stakeholders identify solutions, share experiences, and promote policies that strengthen pharmaceutical systems at local, national, and regional levels.

Recent advocacy engagements have brought together representatives from Ministries of Health, regulatory authorities, county governments, faith-based health organizations, supply chain institutions, and development partners from Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda to advance a shared vision for stronger pharmaceutical care.

Impact to Date

The project has contributed to:

• 1. Strengthened pharmaceutical skills among frontline healthcare workers: More than 100 healthcare workers across Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda have received training in medicine supply management, rational medicine use, and dispensing practices.
  2. Improved medicine management and dispensing practices: Participating facilities have reorganized pharmacy stores, improved stock management systems, and introduced clearer medicine classification and labelling.
  3. Better patient counselling and medicine-use information: Patients have reported receiving clearer dosage instructions, improved dispensing services, and better information on medicine use.
  4. Increased awareness of the pharmaceutical needs of older persons: Healthcare workers have been equipped to better support elderly patients who often require multiple medications and specialized pharmaceutical care.
  5. Stronger collaboration between faith-based and public health systems: Joint supervision visits, shared training programmes, and involvement of government and faith-based health facilities have strengthened coordination and service delivery.
  6. Enhanced advocacy capacity among healthcare leaders and implementing partners: Project partners and master trainers have developed advocacy action plans and engaged policymakers to address pharmaceutical system challenges.
  7. Greater regional collaboration and learning: A South-to-South Exchange in Rwanda brought together project teams and master trainers from all three countries to share experiences, best practices, and solutions to common challenges.
  8. Improved access to pharmaceutical expertise: Advocacy efforts in Kenya contributed to the deployment of a pharmaceutical technologist to Khalaba Health Center, strengthening pharmaceutical service delivery at the facility.
  9. Stronger policy engagement for sustainable change: Regional advocacy meetings in Nairobi and Kakamega brought together policymakers, regulators, faith-based health organizations, and development partners, culminating in a Call to Action to improve access to quality-assured medicines and strengthen pharmaceutical care.

The IMPACT Project continues to build a future where every person, regardless of where they live, can access safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines delivered through strong and resilient pharmaceutical systems. By investing in people, strengthening institutions, and fostering collaboration across sectors, the project is helping transform pharmaceutical care and improve health outcomes for communities across East Africa.