Improving Treatment of Early Childhood Diseases in the Private Retail Sector

HEPS Uganda is under contract from USAID Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to provide services to improve treatment for early childhood diseases in the private retail sector. This will entail provision of medical detailing services for a period of eight months. The project began with training of detailers in Kampala at the end of January 2015.
The intervention targeting 10,000 drug retailers and private clinics is focused in rural areas across at least 101 districts in Uganda except Karamoja and Island regions. 150 pharmaceutical wholesalers in upcountry trading centres are being targeted.
Detailers collect data from retail and wholesale outlets on each visit. The detailers are equipped with tablets logged in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform to be provided by CHAI/SHOPS.

Each detailer is overseeing approximately two districts covering all drug shops in the districts. Detailer supervisors also visit three to four wholesalers in the two districts. There are a total of 58 detailers and 8 regional supervisors. The regions for the intervention include; West Nile, Northern, Mid-Western, South Western, Central 1, Central 2, East-Central, Eastern.
Each drug shop and clinic should will be visited at least once a month but more frequently in the first quarter of project. The Supervisors visit wholesalers in their area on a bi-weekly routine.
The visits will be used to conduct direct merchandizing and education outreach to the retailers and wholesalers. These merchandizing visits will include distribution of POSM, continuing medical education, reinforcement of product benefits, and provision of supply information. The detailers will coordinate with wholesalers and partners to ensure delivery of high-priority products to retailers.