Routine Supportive Supervision and Management of Medicines and Other Health Products and Technologies in Vihiga County, Kenya

Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) are pivotal for an efficient health system. Availability and accessibility to affordable health products are critical indicators towards achieving universal health coverage. Routine supportive supervision, performance monitoring, recognition of efforts and client feedback are vital activities toward health supply chain system strengthening. This is a descriptive paper that describes a model of integrated commodity supportive supervision, and mentorship and its impact on various outcomes of health commodity management. Data were abstracted from the standardized scored checklists used during integrated commodity supportive supervision and supply chain audit in public health facilities in Vihiga County. Scores for the period 2020 to 2022 were analyzed on the eight key areas of interest. The analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 26). Results are interpreted at 95% Confidence interval. This paper also shares findings from both quantitative and qualitative data from client exit and facility managers’ interviews. Six complete rounds of supervisions, three clients and service providers’ interviews, and three annual award events have been conducted. We observed trends across six data collections points and compared the results at first point or baseline (January-June 2020) to the results at the last point or end line (April-June 2022). Findings show significant improvements on the eight parameters in terms of mean scores as follows: resolution of issues from previous visits by 35.06% (46.75% - 81.81%);storage of HPTs by 17.41% (68.72% - 86.13%);inventory management by 28.16% (42.67% - 70.83%);availability and use of commodity data management information systems (MIS) tools by 22.39% (74.40% - 96.79%);verification of commodity data by 25.61% (65.56% - 91.17%);availability of guidelines and job aids for commodity management by 46.28% (36.65% - 82.93%). There was an improvement on the mean score on accountability by 20.22% (58.58% - 83.51%). The composite (final) score improved by 28.33% (56.19% - 84.52%). There was progressive narrowing of the standard deviations on all the indicators across the study period. This demonstrates that there is standardization of practices and positive competition among all the public health facilities. There were significant improvements on all the eight indicators. Routine integrated commodity supportive supervision has proven to be an effective high impact intervention in improving management of health products and technologies in Vihiga County, Kenya.

Indigenous Knowledge on Production and Utilisation of Termite(Isoptera)in Western Kenya

The study sought to assess the level of knowledge on the utilization of termites,harvesting methods and characterise local edible termite species.Focus group discussion with key informants was used to collect data that was analysed using SPSS Version 21.0 to generate descriptive statistics.Results indicated different levels of termites’utilisation where 45%of farmers use alates as food,35%as feed for chicks and quails,while 20%use the queen to fatten young bulls.Majority of farmers(40%)prefer the use of termites as feed because it is readily available,followed with 20%that use it because of nutritive value,10%relate its use with better taste of poultry products,5%associate termite use in enhancing early maturity weight while 5%said it improves growth and strength of bulls.On harvesting,three methods are commonly used with most farmers(45%)using underground trapping method,(35%)use above ground trapping method but 20%use mound excavation.Varied plant materials are used as attractants and the effect is more when combined with dry cow dung.Farmers further characterised species based on time of emergence of alates and habitat’s physical features.Most respondents(45%)associated:big mounds with Macrotermes bellicosus(Mafendete);small mount to Macrotermes subhyalinus(Kitunda);presence of open big tunnels with Coptotermes millitaris(Riamke)while seasonal gallaries and small tunnels was a confirmatory feature of either Pseudocanthotermes militaris(Chiisiisi)and Pseudocanthotermes spiniger(Maburi).The study demonstrates the richness in indigenous knowledge on techniques of termite production and utilization.