Congratulations to our June 2008 grantees:
Umkhuseli Fund Management/KwaZulu Natal Department of Health
Meds and Food for Kids
African Regional Youth Initiative
The next Board meeting to select new grantees is November 3-6, 2008
Umkhuseli Fund Management/KwaZulu Natal Department of Health
Meds and Food for Kids
African Regional Youth Initiative
The next Board meeting to select new grantees is November 3-6, 2008
HUMAN HEALTH WILL IMPROVE AND THE BURDEN OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE will be reduced only if significant investments are made in the infrastructure for providing health care. An adequate health care infrastructure has many components: physical facilities that make care accessible; laboratory, training, and other support facilities; reliable supplies of pharmaceuticals and other materials; trained staff and professional training systems; and mechanisms to distribute resources and expertise to people who need them. An adequate system is capable of providing preventive, diagnostic, and curative care, according to the requirements of the people being served.
The Izumi Foundation supports projects that strengthen local systems for delivering health care, as well as national and regional systems that support the provision of care at the local level. The foundation is interested in cost-effective innovations that make good health care more accessible to poor people and communities.
The Zanmi Lasante Project in Cange, Haiti, developed by Partners in Health, established a drug-procurement system that ensures that essential medications are available to the poor. As part of the project, Partners in Health constructed a warehouse for storing medicine, developed a prototype computer-based pharmacy inventory system, developed a database of sources for donated and low-cost drugs, and trained local staff to manage the system.
Direct Relief International improved and expanded the basic health care services provided by the Motoka Health Center in the Volta region of Ghana. The project included the construction of a surgical suite and training for health workers and traditional birth attendants.
The African Medical and Research Foundation established national laboratory quality assurance projects in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Laboratory services are essential for accurate diagnosis and selection of drugs—which in turn are essential for providing proper treatment and reducing the incidence of drug resistance. In many African countries, such services are not readily available, especially at the local level. The three national projects will improve the quality of diagnostic testing and services for malaria, tuberculosis, anemia, intestinal parasites, and HIV/AIDS. In addition, the national projects will monitor and maintain the quality of essential drug services in their countries.
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