Capacity Development
Institutional Strengthening
MDA conducted a long-term leadership and management capacity development program among 15 NGOs in Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity of grantees and community based HIV/AIDS service providers. The MDA approach incorporated the provision of knowledge products and strategic advice, sharing of country experiences, sharing of cross-functional knowledge and expertise, and peer to peer learning to share common approaches to overcoming bottlenecks and solving challenges faced in their work.
Health Systems Strengthening
Disease Management Systems
MDA supported the implementation of ART therapy as part of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS management plan in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. We deployed and managed the Disease management information system (DMIS), a unique cost-effective patient assessment system for HIV and AIDS patients and other chronic diseases, assisted providers in serving the growing number of AIDS patients by providing clinical decision support inputs as well as clinical and management information. At an individual level, DMIS receives demographic, clinical and biochemical data and outputs an appropriate case management regimen, including the dispensing of antiretroviral drugs according to the nationally approved guidelines. At a management level, DMIS provides real-time quantitative and qualitative data at facility, district, provincial and national levels. This information is essential in supporting clinic and health program managers in clinical quality assurance, operational decision-making, monitoring, and planning activities.
Multi-country Assessments of HIV Testing Policies
MDA conducted multi-country studies on provision of provider initiated and voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) among fourteen countries in East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA). MDA consultants reviewed policies, procedures and programs to provide VCT and to integrate counseling and testing of HIV into clinical settings. The study identified best practices in service delivery, and proposed appropriate frameworks for scaling up. Its recommendations were presented to ECSA Ministers of Health for discussion and adoption.
Leadership and Governance
Leadership and Management Training for National Health Staff
Conflicts and migration from public to private sector and overseas has led to fairly weak leadership and management in many African countries and is more acute in fragile and post conflict states. In Southern Sudan we developed and implemented a program to strengthen the capacity of policy makers and senior managers in leadership and management and for staff to understand roles and responsibility at various levels (national, state and county) within the Ministry of Health.
Program Management
Financial Restructuring
MDA has developed a highly effective institutional financial restructuring strategy that addresses systemic weaknesses and strengthens functioning and capacity; improves risk management; creates major efficiency gains and integrates the use of technology and systems. This restructuring strategy will be piloted in several national and provincial government departments and public entities in South Africa resulting in the following:
- Financial management and capacity assessments
- Development of business cases including detailed financial and funding models
- Review and strengthening of financial management systems
- Creation of efficiency gains
- Financial sustainability modeling
- Improvements in audit outcomes
Costing
MDA has worked with UNAIDS to identify, mentor and guide appropriate HIV/AIDS costing experts in several African countries (including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda). MDA and its partners assist in matching costing consultants to appropriate assignments in line with both the country contexts and skills requirements. We have been successful in developing a network of carefully selected in-country costing consultants who work hand in hand with leading international costing experts. This ensures that adequate guidance is provided to local costing consultants; a thorough briefing, project plan and inception report informs the costing assignment; appropriate costing tools are used; and quality assurance is maintained. This has resulted in the target countries gaining confidence in the expertise and quality of costing consultants responsible for determining the financial implications of their HIV/AIDS strategic and operational plans.
Procurement of Anti-retroviral Drugs
MDA and its partners assisted the South African government in assessing the most cost-effective option for anti-retroviral procurement in 2003. This consisted of a detailed analysis of procurement options and their financial implications.
Results Based Management
National Government
MDA consultants provided technical assistance to the Government of Liberia which was faced with major implementation challenges in delivering services to its population. MDA applied its results based methodologies and techniques to accelerate implementation in three sectors (Health, Education and Agriculture) leading to significant increase in services across the country within six months of implementation.
Training in Results Based Strategic and Operational Planning
We have developed a comprehensive strategic and operational planning training curriculum, which focuses on priority setting, results based management, epidemiological and demographic modeling, financial management and costing, monitoring and evaluation. Our consultants have trained program managers on strategic and operational planning for HIV/AIDS in several regions including Anglophone and Francophone Africa, Caribbean region, Eastern Europe, and Middle East.