Thanks to support from the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), PHC West Itam began to receive bi-monthly review meetings. During these meetings, Mercy gained access to mentoring and on-the-job training which included stock management and how to request resupply of health commodities. Deploying her creativity, inventory management tools, and skills received via mentorship, Mrs. Bassey mobilized resources, including a donation of $170 (N68,000) from the local Ward Development Committee (WDC), to start an indigenous Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) for essential health commodities, including malaria medicines. She contacted sales representatives of pharmaceutical companies and received seedstock on credit, paying off the company after the sale of the medicines.
For transparency and accountability, she reports every expenditure to the WDC during the community-facility monthly meetings, and ensures that commodities received from PMI and other donors are dispensed judiciously. Using the Inventory Control Cards (ICCs) received from PMI through the Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management project, she maintains good inventory management and differentiates donor commodities from the essential medicines managed under the DRF scheme.
Mrs. Bassey uses the profit from the DRF scheme to buy more medicines and to improve the quality of care at the health facility. The facility now transacts an average of N250,000 monthly ($644) and has engaged nine ad hoc staff. Not relenting, Mrs. Mercy elicited support from the Community Medicine Department at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital to send doctors thrice a week to treat patients and provide routine consulting services. With additional staff, the facility now provides 24-hour healthcare services. The profit from the DRF scheme further enabled Mrs. Bassey, with consultation from the WDC, to install a solar panel in the facility, to solve the electricity supply challenges.
