EPN is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The will focus on scaling up Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (MNCH) and nutrition products introduction in the Faith-Based Sector in Nigeria and Kenya for greater access and affordability of quality-assured products. This initiative will be carried out in Kenya and Nigeria with EPN members: Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) in Kenya, and in Nigeria, Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN) and CHAN Medi-Pharm (CMP) and is a significant step towards a shared vision of improving global health.
The three-year funding aims to reduce the global burden of maternal mortality and neonatal mortality by enhancing the availability and efficiency of maternal and neonatal interventions. This will be achieved by promoting access to high-impact interventions and essential health products for maternal, neonatal, and child healthcare. EPN through this will accelerate availability, access, and affordability of high impact, quality assured MNCH commodities and products in the faith-based health sector in Kenya and Nigeria. To achieve this, EPN will work with our partners in Nigeria and Kenya to build the capacity of health care workers in FBO facilities to align practices and interventions for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and neonatal care with national MNCH guidelines, along with the advocacy for increased investment in high impact MNCH interventions and products at national, sub-national level and FBOs health services.
This support will also catalyze the establishment of a Drug Revolving Fund in the targeted 100 FBO health facilities in Kenya and 150 in Nigeria to sustain the availability of these products. The initial procurement and distribution of PPH bundle products will be done through MEDS and CMP using the AxMedRx platform. Raising awareness and monitoring the quality of MNCH products will foster the supply chain integrity and procurement best practices. EPN will extend the pooled procurement mechanism to increase access to quality MNCH products and other health products along with market shaping, demand aggregation and market strategies.
EPN with members CHAK, CHAN, MEDS and CMP have been leading access to quality assured health products and commodities and health systems strengthening activities to improve the quality of MNCH for more than 40 years. EPN BMGF and stakeholders in Improving Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and nutrition commodities and quality of care for women and newborn will make a lasting impact on quality of life for women and newborn and the quality of healthcare delivery in faith-based health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa Region.