Robust Malaria Data across PMI and Global Fund Supported Provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Inter-donor Collaboration

Malaria is among the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It accounts for an estimated 40 percent of outpatient visits to health facilities among children under the age of five and 40 percent of overall child mortality. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) estimates that the DRC accounts for 11 percent of all cases of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 2012, USAID has been supporting the end-use verification (EUV) survey in DRC through the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) program. The survey helps to assess the availability of malaria commodities and track facility-level stockouts to improve distribution of commodities within the country. In September 2017, the Global Health Supply Chain Technical Assistance (GHSC-TA) Francophone Task Order successfully brokered the EUV survey in the DRC that collected data from across 25 of the 26 provinces in the country. For the first time, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provided financial and human resources to participate in the PMI-supported EUV survey.

GHSC-TA’s methodology utilized a rigorous, stratified sampling strategy that included a nationally representative sample of 392 health care facilities, 26 regional distribution centers and 50 district-level warehouses.

With the analysis of these comprehensive data, the National Malaria Control Program will have valuable information on commodity availability and clinical practices at the service delivery point that will support decision-making to improve the fight against one of the country’s top killers.